


Fallacious Victory

by firewolfsg



Series: Ravens Saga [3]
Category: Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman | Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Genre: Child Abuse, F/M, M/M, Obsession, Past Abuse, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-31
Updated: 2013-01-31
Packaged: 2017-11-27 16:36:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firewolfsg/pseuds/firewolfsg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Ken and Joe taking a different route in this Universe of the Ravens, who are the Kagaku Ninjatai?</p><p>Written March 1998</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reporting In

In the sealed conference room, Dr. Nambu allowed the steel plated windows to open, revealing the dawn to the assembled United Nations and Alliance of Nations leaders. A dawn which they had at first worried about never seeing. 

Nambu had no time to enjoy the brilliant colors, not when the news he just received stabbed him in the heart. The Kagaku Ninjatai had called to report the mission's success. 

"Ladies and Gentleman, the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman have saved us. The threat to the Van Allen belt has been eliminated." 

The room erupted in a thunderous cheer and the tension of the past several hours dissipated with the dawn. Dr. Nambu's voice did not join them. 

"You don't seem very pleased, Doctor." 

"I'm sorry. But today's victory came through the sacrifice of my best friend. The leader of the Red Impulse squadron sacrificed his life to deploy the rocket."

*~*~*~*~*

Dr. Nambu walked alone down the corridor to one of the security rooms of the base. His thoughts were in disarray over the events of the last twelve hours. It had taken all his persuasive powers to retain Sam as the leader of the Kagaku Ninjatai, and now finally, the debriefing was over. The team sent back to their homes to rest and wait until Gallactor raise their head from their lair again.

{The Ravens were not lying, Sam and the others were sure of that. The Kagaku Ninjatai are heroes only because I told the UN so. Was I right? To lie to the UN and the AN leaders and let them believe that it was the Kagaku Ninjatai who saved them? Why had it been so easy to lie?}

> "Ladies and Gentleman, the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman have saved us." 
> 
> " ... the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman have saved us." 
> 
> " ... Kagaku Ninjatai have saved us." 
> 
> " ... Gatchaman saved us." 
> 
> " ... saved us." 

He had used these word so many times before, and previously it had been true. How could just one lie destroy the meaning to them.

"Damn them to hell, the AN must know that we were lying." Nambu cursed, "We know they have dealings with the Gallactor Empire, but how do we prove it?" 

He came to an unmarked wall and pulled open a hidden panel. He punched in his security codes and a larger panel slid open to reveal an elevator. After punching in the proper sequence of codes, the elevator began to move. 

Nambu sighed as he leaned against the side of the elevator. He thought over the differences between the two world groupings, with their differing visions of the world. The United Nations wanted to focus on movement to the stars and perhaps colonizing the other planets. Development of technology to fly to other solar systems, and live in hostile environments was still far off, but with funding they could begin to try and reach for the stars. 

The Alliance of Nations wanted to focus on earth and abandon space. The AN's vision was to build defenses and control the dwindling resources of the earth. Was it so wrong? 

So far, the AN view seemed to be gaining in popularity. With the rise of Gallactor attacks, the world had been forced to focus inwards out of survival. No one wanted to think about space travel, or moving beyond the earth when their home was under attack. Someone or something did not want earth to develop the technology for space travel, and with the AN promoting the view of focusing inwards, was it so far off base, for the ISO to suspect a link between the terrorist activities of Gallactor to the Alliance of Nations? 

The elevator opened into a long corridor, at the end of which was a palm scanner and a coded access door. Nambu went through the motions to open it. Beyond the door was a lone console, only a very selected few knew of. 

Nambu slid into the seat in front of the console and touched a few panels to bring it to life. He stared at the cool empty blue screen for a moment before taking a deep breath and tapping a few more keys. 

His voice came from the speakers, as he played back a recording he had made nearly two years ago.

> _"Mentor, the team is ready. With the bird style technology you provided us, I have confidence that they will be ready to prepare for the threat you warned us about fifteen years ago."_

Nambu snorted to himself softly. It felt like an eon ago when he had recorded this, and now he could only feel embarrassment over how naïve and excited he sounded.

> _"They have been trained from the earliest age, Mentor. Our team, the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, may be young, but they are at their prime. I know from my earlier reports, you would be expressing concern over the selection I had. But I assure you again Mentor, I have chosen carefully, and I have confidence in them."_

Nambu had to smile at his own assertion, it was true that he had confidence in the team. He still did. They were the best he could have gathered at that time, and they were still the best at what they did. It's just that the world had changed around them, and he didn't know any longer if the Kagaku Ninjatai could grow fast enough to meet the challenge.

> _"Falcon Sam has grown into the position of Gatchaman. Sam Anderson is capable, sure of himself, the team has confidence in his ability to lead them. And I dare say they will follow him to hell and back if necessary."_

Nambu breathed a heavy sigh at these words. How much had his opinion changed since then? The confidence which Sam once had radiating from him, withered. Faced with the difficulties and the formidable opposition supplied by the Gallactor Ravens, his confidence had been slowly but surely whittled down to a shadow of his initial offering.

> _"Hawk Getz has proven himself as an able second, and still holds the position of top gunner and weapons smith. Despite his earlier family history with Gallactor, his loyalty is unquestionable and the insight he provides us with the Gallactor modus operand has been invaluable."_

{Herman Getz.} Nambu chewed on his lower lip, in the remembrance of pain. He had died under mysterious circumstances not more than six months ago. It still pained him to think of the loss of this promising young man.

> _"Swan Jun ... Mentor, I know you must question my decision in allowing my foster daughter to be part of this team. She is able, Mentor. I know her engineering skills and intelligence will prove to be an asset to the team, and she will make any father proud. She *is* our demolition's expert, Mentor. Jun is sure, steady, professional ... I - I admit that I was initially incensed that she wanted to be part of the team, and I am ashamed to admit, that I thought she wanted inclusion in the team because of her close relationship to Sam Anderson. But again, Jun has pleasantly surprised me with her dedication and professionalism. I had made it clear to them, that fraternizing during missions is forbidden, and they have clearly shown that it is a rule - no a law - that they will not break."_

Nambu could not stop the smile which touched his lips at this statement. His heart swelled with pride whenever he thought of his daughter. She always brought him pride. He was not normally a demonstrative man, and sometimes he felt awkward with his daughter, given her earlier history and his own bachelor status. He hoped that she understood and knew of his pride in her achievements.

When he had first offered to adopt her, the authorities had an issue with his status as a bachelor. It had taken them a long time to finally allow him to bring Jun home with him. During that time, he had visited her at the orphanage everyday, talking to her and offering what support and comfort he could give while she stayed there.

> _"Swallow Jinpei ... Mentor, again I know you probably have misgivings with my selection. But despite his youth, Jinpei has proven himself to be an asset to the team. He has rightly earned the confidence we have in his ability with computers and electronics, and is more than worthy of the trust we give him in carrying his own weight in the team."_

Nambu's smile grew broader as he listened to his statement. Jinpei. A more promising, eager, mischief maker he had never come across. The boy was worth his weight in gold. Jinpei had to thank the fates which put Jun in his path. Of course, it made the adoption process longer, since Jun would not leave the boy behind in the orphanage, but Nambu had persevered and left the orphanage with not one, but two children.

> _"Owl Ryu, rounds off the team, and I could not ask for a more solid and dependable pilot. He, more than any other, exemplifies the strength of the team."_

Again, Nambu had to smile. Through all the trials and tests. Ryu had always been a rock for the others. The one the others would depend on and would entrust their faith in, in flying the God Phoenix. His skill with his 'girl' had stood between them and death many times.

Nambu's face clouded again at this thought. {If only the team were not so hard pressed to stay on top of missions lately.} 

Nambu had to stop the play back. He didn't know how much more of the naive cheerfulness he could stand to listen to in his own voice. 

They hadn't heard from the Mentor in years. Not for the first time, Nambu wondered if the alien was still alive. 

When they had first made contact, he had come across as an almost continuous stream of chatter. It was made all the more clear when they realized that the time lag between transmissions was three months. It had taken nearly four years of coordination, but the lines were set up and two teams were kept in almost continuous dialogue for nearly a year. 

The last transmission from Mentor occurred a year before the recording Nambu had just listened to. They had not heard from it since, though Nambu dutifully recorded and transmitted his reports to Mentor after every major incident. 

Nambu touched a few panels and called up a recording he had made not more than three months after the first attack.

> _"Mentor, I've not done enough to keep you up to date about the Gallactors. We had thought that the technology you provided us would be sufficient to give us the edge against X. But another element has since entered the picture."_
> 
> _"I don't know how we could have missed them. I've been working on this group for over thirteen years, and from all reports which we've received about Gallactor, there was nothing to indicate their ability to meet and ably match the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman. You had warned us of a being like Berg Katse, but the Ravens and Raptors surprised us, Mentor. We were not prepared to have to face four new entrants."_

Nambu started to laugh softly, {When we first saw the Raptors ... I can't believe we used to call them, Katse's harem. We quickly learnt that they were far from being merely window dressing.}

Nambu stared at the computer screen. But in his mind he neither saw the words on the screen, nor his own reflection. The image he was looking at was the recorded profiles of the mysterious Ravens and the sultry Raptors.

> _"From what we have observed of the Ravens, they have heightened senses, speed, strength and stamina equal to that provided by the bird style technology you have given us. We also now know that; the entity known as Raven 1 is a telekinetic, though his skill is little used; while Raven 2 is telepathic, though he does not use his skills beyond the reading of minds and communication."_
> 
> _"I would hesitate to comment on their Intelligent Quotient, however, I would feel safe enough to judge it significantly lower than that of Berg Katse, which is at an unheard of level of 280. They appear to be of above normal intelligence, but we are inclined to believe not remarkably so."_
> 
> _"However, I cannot fault their tutors. Their grasp of strategy, military science and mass communication appear to be of a level, unseen since the death of Sun Tsu and Miyamoto Musashi, military strategists of earth's ancient history. As so sorely evidenced by our recent defeats, we dare not ever underestimate them again."_
> 
> _"Where the Ravens are Berg Katse's field commanders, the Raptors appear to be his body guards in their absence. The team - the team was not prepared to fight with either Ravens or the Raptors at their first encounter."_

Nambu had to flush again at that memory.

> _"As with the Ravens, the Raptors have heightened senses, speed, strength, and stamina. They are skilled in their own weapons of choice, and their unarmed combat skills are, to our shock, a match for even the Kagaku Ninjatai._
> 
> _"Mentor, I know your kind are not familiar with human gender and sex. But, this was obviously something X picked up in the long years he's spent observing our race. We considered the Raptors - dangerous, very dangerous. They wear little with intent to distract the males of our race, something which they do very well. Fortunately, Jun isn't one to be swayed by these sirens." Dr. Nambu frowned as he chewed his lower lip in silent frustration, "But the Ravens ... Where the Raptors would take the attention of the males, the Ravens could distract the female."_

Listening to his recording again, Nambu shook his head, he knew it must have all sounded very silly to the Mentor.

> _"It is - unfortunate that the Raptors know how to use their - other attributes to ... help them to ... distract and take down their opponents."_

Nambu winced at his blunt assessment. It was a game for Lady Eagle and Lady Condor to flirt with Falcon Sam and Hawk Getz. Those girls could put them in their places. Sam approached him once to request another weapon after a particular encounter with them. Nambu only found out why when he was debriefing with Jun about the encounter.

The Lady Eagle carried a particular whip, Jun hadn't been able to explain what made it special. But she was able to describe Falcon Sam's shock when the Raptor plucked his boomerang out of the air, the first time he tried to used it against her. 

The bird disk Nambu later gave Sam wasn't anymore effective. She had shattered the last one with a crack of the whip. And Raven 1's own black combat disk had sliced through the bird disk too many times to count. Sam eventually went back to the boomerang. 

{Eventually, I know I should give Sam the Gatcha fencer, but he isn't ready for it. I'm afraid to see the result of his first clash against Raven 1 with that sword.} 

In the line of weapons, Herman wasn't any happier that the Lady Condor carried black feathered shuriken, which she could use to match him blade for blade. Though at least *he* never asked Nambu for alternate weapons. 

Nambu skipped the next few transmissions to listen again to the message he had sent when the secret of the Ravens had become known.

> _"Suffice it to say, Mentor, Berg Katse is not the only one of his kind. The Raptors and the Ravens, once thought to be separate beings, have been proven to be the same entities. Like the mutant Berg Katse, they are shape changers. Furthermore, we were able to observe them changing form once, and what we observed has cause some apprehension."_
> 
> _"According to the reports, the transformations take place with an energy discharge in the shape of a bird. An eagle and a condor I believe, thus we are forced to conclude that Sosai X must have internalized the bird style technology you have given us, making the bodies of these Gallactors weapons in itself. We've also concluded that their ability can be willed, and is therefore not uncontrollable as we are lead to believe about Berg Katse."_
> 
> _"Even without closer examination, it appears as if these entities are improvements of the model which Berg Katse pioneered. From what we know of Berg Katse, he has very low-level psychic skills, the Ravens do appear to be improvements on this ability, as evidenced by their powers of telepathy and telekinesis. Their Intelligent Quotient, however, I still feel cannot be compared to that of Berg Katse."_

Nambu close his eyes again.

{Raptors and Ravens, how could we have been so blind! Fraternal twins who were never seen together indeed.} Nambu snorted to himself, {When the truth became known that Raven 1 and Raven 2 were also the Raptors, Lady Eagle and Lady Condor, it almost crippled the team. And no one will even tell me why.} 

Nambu frowned as he wonder what had happened that was not reported during some missions. Sam, Jun, and Mako were dumfounded after the revelation. It took everything Ryu and Jinpei could think of to shake them out of their stupor. Even then, nothing was the same ever again. 

Falcon Sam had even tried to hand in his resignation from embarrassment. Nambu had refused to accept it. He noticed the three avoid each other for a good many days, before they were forced together again on a mission.

> _"Mentor, the war still goes on, we have so far been successful enough to continue to hold the Gallactor Empire at bay."_

Nambu started slightly, he hadn't been paying attention to the playback. It was now set at a recording he had made some four months before the secret of the Ravens was revealed. He decided not to stop the playback.

> _"However, we are not without losses. Our - our G2, Herman Getz was murdered on a mission. Given our complete surprise at the sudden appearance of the Raptors and Ravens, and our agents' inability to trace the history or beginning of these entities, Herman had gone under deep cover to investigate a lead on their identities. He never returned."_

{Damn you Getz, why did you have to go traipsing off on that wild goose chase! I never wanted to have to bury any of you!}

> _"It was thus my decision to promote Swan Jun to the position of G2, and a replacement to fill the ranks was quickly sought. We now have Hawk Mako in place to complete the Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman. She is as dependable and reliable as Hawk Getz, and we are confidant that she will continue to be an asset to the team."_

Nambu stopped the playbacks, it was causing him too much heart ache. Nambu glanced to one side, towards the picture he had placed there so long ago. A picture of the team which he had scanned into the computer at that time, and sent to the Mentor when he had first given the Kagaku Ninjatai the bird style. But where once, the picture might have brought him pride, it only shamed him now.

{I see so many signs of my failure when I look at them. For his sake, I can't remove Sam as the leader. Its not fair to him and the team. I'm glad Ryu is as usual solid and dependable. Sam really needs his support. Jinpei is just Jinpei. The boy's a long way from maturity, but he tries and he is dependable. Herman ... } 

{Chief Anderson, forgive me, but I have more faith in my female members than your grandson. Jun is good, I probably should have made her the leader, instead of Sam, from the start. She has the backbone that Sam seems to lack. I know they're still going out together, but I sometimes wonder if she feels just as frustrated with Sam's whining as I do. When is she going to tire of holding him up and forever boosting the downward slide of his ego.} 

{Sam ... Sam ... Jun told me recently that Sam's refused the title of Gatchaman now. I suspect that Mako's been riding him about his leadership abilities again.} 

A smile touched Nambu's lips at the thought of the newest Kagaku Ninjatai. 

{Mako. She is a wild one. She wouldn't even be in the team if her fiancé, Hawk Getz, hadn't died on that foolhardy mission. Herman was so sure he had known the Raptors, when he was a boy, and still living in the Empire. Sam shouldn't have allowed Getz to go alone into BC Island. Given Raven 2's telepathic ability, he must have been picked out in an instant.} 

Nambu's thoughts went back to Mako and Herman. 

They were as like as two peas. It was no surprise to their friends that they were engaged. But Getz's duties did put a strain on their relationship. When he finally told her the truth, Nambu had chewed him out royally for not informing him first. 

But it could not have remained a secret for long. Not when Sam was walking around sporting that distinctive scar across his face. The Gallactor spies were too sharp, they almost nailed Ryu's family. And they would have, if Nambu hadn't snatched them out first. Nambu had to pull both Sam and Ryu out of their normal lives into hiding. 

Ryu was furious with Sam about his family's danger. He almost lost his family because of Sam's distinct scarring. The big guy eventually forgave Sam, but Mako never let Sam forget that it was his misjudgment which caused Herman's death. 

They never did learn the full circumstances behind G2's murder, or of the execution of his impostor. It would have been an absolute disaster for the team if Mako hadn't arrived to expose the impostor. But they had her word that she didn't kill the impostor. 

{Hawk Mako has proved to be just as able, or even more so, than Herman. But I shouldn't have been surprised, she was the one who first got Herman interested in racing. Her marksmanship has also improved remarkably with practice.} 

With a few tapped keys, Nambu called up a picture of Mako, the newest Kagaku Ninjatai, and the only one who's training he had not personally arranged. 

{Though I am happy that Mako agreed to take her fiancé's place, I do worry about the disruption she brings to the team. She challenges Sam. It's no better with Jun, she's so much more liberal. I haven't worked up the courage to ask Mako, but I believe that she's gone on a complete 180 degree change in sexual orientation since Getz died. Haven't - seen her go out with any boys.} 

{I've seen her approach Jun, and my daughter's straight - or at least I think she is. When Sam's being difficult, Jun'll go to Mako. And I know it isn't as a foster sister. Jun's an efficient warrior, but she's also a sweet kid. I - I just wish Mako could see Ryu's worship.} 

Nambu laughed softly at this thought. 

{If the stress of the war were not headache enough, I also have to worry about the testosterone and estrogen levels of the team in internal dynamics.} 

Nambu groaned as he leaned back in the chair and rubbed his temples. He reached for the microphone, unable to push off making his report any longer. Briefly he wondered why he continued to send these transmissions. Mentor had not contacted him since the war on earth started. Nambu wondered if it was still out there receiving the transmissions. 

He took a deep breath before he began. 

"Mentor, please respond to me. I - I need your guidance ... and your wisdom. Please respond." 

He sat in silence for a moment holding the microphone and trying to think of what he was going to say. 

"You were right about the V-2, Mentor. We did all that we could. But Gallactor still managed to launch the rocket. My - my best friend - Kentaro Washio - he - he's dead now. Ceased to exist in your terms. He brought the antidote rocket up. He saved us. But - but ..." 

Nambu stopped talking for a moment, steeling himself to continue. 

"I should have known better. The Alliance of Nations would not have stood by and allowed the Gallactor Empire to destroy the earth. We should have trusted the Ravens. The Gallactor leader, Berg Katse is capable of any insanity, but not the Ravens." 

"They would not have allowed the world to expire. The entire drama was a bluff, to flex their powers and show the World what the Gallactor Empire was capable of. They had been prepared to send the antidote rocket up all along." 

"But it's too late. Even now, their propaganda machine is spreading the word of the Kagaku Ninjatai's mismanagement of the situation. And - and I've just compounded the crisis by lying to the World leaders. I told them that the Kagaku Ninjatai were the ones who saved the world. The AN leaders must know that I have lied. How long will it be before the United Nations' leaders would begin to distrust my word now?" 

"It was a mistake to send my charges. The spirit of the team is at a nadir, if they received one more blow, I'm not sure if I could hold them anymore." 

"Sam - Falcon Sam thinks that the death of Kentaro Washio rests on his shoulders. He's wrong, it is my fault. I - I have already succeeded in dooming the entire family of my best friend." 

Nambu stopped the recording for a while as he lost himself in thought. 

{My best friend. ... If this is how my friends must suffer, perhaps it would be best if I had none. The Washio's were so close to me, yet I sent them to BC Island, where Kentaro lost his wife and son. I should have considered having them live with me during his absence. Perhaps even fake Kentaro's death to keep them safe.} 

{If he was still alive, Kentaro's son would have been a young man now. He and Sam would have been of like age. How would the Kagaku Ninjatai have turned out if Kentaro's son had lived? Would Ken have shown the same leadership qualities of his father? Would Sam have been conscripted to join by his grandfather?} 

Nambu could not summon a smile to his face when he thought of Gatchaman. 

{Sam Anderson, I wish he'd give up his perception of having gained his position due to his relationship as Chief Anderson's grandson. Perhaps that was how it appeared in the beginning, but he has to move beyond it. It least show the rest of the world that he doesn't need his grandfather's influence to keep him as the leader of the team.} 

{But it hasn't be easy has it? Not after the total disasters of the last few missions. But no one can blame him for those failures.} 

Nambu activated the microphone again. 

"Mentor, it continues to be a stalemate between our forces in terms of battle, but the Alliance of Nations have increased their influence and power on earth. If we are unable to find a way to neutralize the Gallactor threat, our war may be lost even if we win the battles." 

"I need your advice, Mentor. I - I hope to hear from you soon. Kozaburo Nambu, out."


	2. Unfinished business

Nambu stopped outside his office to look at his name on the door.

{Nothing worthwhile is easy. Damn it, the team has done some good. We're struggling, but the score is still even. We've stopped Gallactor from advancing and that's got to be enough for now.}

{Despite that last mission, Sam has got them working together as a team. We're at a nadir now, but there's no where else to go but up. I expect to see the team take on a more professional demeanor. After this, they know and understand, more so than ever, that the eyes of the world are on them.}

Feeling much better about the situation, he reached for the door knob.

She was in there with her back to the door, smoking and waiting with her last surviving son. Nambu had expected to see Katherine in his office sooner or later, but not within hours of their 'Victory.' He hadn't seen her since the day she almost broke his jaw.

"He's finally gone and done it hasn't he." She asked, as she turned slowly towards him and blew out a plume of smoke, adding to the already smoky interior.

"Katherine ..."

"He never cared." Her voice was pitched so low, Nambu could barely make out the words.

"Kentaro ..."

"Damn his sorry hide. He never cared for me, or anyone else except his lost son!" She yelled, "I wish I never met him, I wish I never met you! I'm glad he's dead! Do you hear me, Kozaburo! I'm glad Kentaro Washio, is dead! And that he'll never be able to harm my surviving son!"

Despite her words, the tears which streamed down her face gave lie to words so hastily spoken.

"Katherine ..."

She let Nambu hold her for a moment as she began to cry. The young lad walked over to touch her arm. Katherine reached down to hug him to her fiercely.

"I'm so sorry, Mark."

He stroked her soft brown hair comfortingly. Mark was an adorable child. His eyes were wet but he showed little else in terms of grief.

When Katherine looked up at Nambu again, her eyes were chillingly calm.

"Give me command of the Red Impulse Squadron, Kozaburo. That is all I want of my husband's legacy. Give them to me, and I will merge it with my Starlets."

Nambu was too flustered to say anything but "Yes."

Katherine could frighten Nambu when she chose to. Nambu was convinced that she was a killer of a caliber that not even Kentaro could touch. She was the best in the Gallactor Empire before she joined the ISO, and she was the best in the ISO.

"I will take them down, Kozaburo. This I swear, by any means available to me, I will destroy the Gallactor Empire for destroying my family." She locked eyes with Nambu, making him tremble inwardly from the intensity, "I only ask this of you, Kozaburo. Take care of our surviving son. In my memory ... in Kentaro's memory ... raise him well and away from this war. For the sake of his future, I can no longer be a part of it. Raise him well."

"Katherine, Mark will not want for anything."

"Kozaburo ... do not turn my son into one of your warriors."

Nambu flinched at this reference. "Never."

"I trust you not to."

"Jason - "

"I know, he wasn't your fault. Not entirely." Katherine's eyes were distant as her thoughts turned to the absent son, "This war isn't for children, Kozaburo, I still do not approve of your using that boy, Jinpei."

"He has a good head on his shoulders."

"So did Jason, Kozaburo. So did Jason. You must know that he wanted so much to be a Kagaku Ninjatai."

"I - "

"That's why he took the performance drugs. That's what killed him."

"I'm sorry - "

"I know. And I destroyed the drug ring which supplied those drugs. Do not do my last child any wrong, Kozaburo."

Katherine kissed her son on the cheek before she left the room.

Mark was looking up at Nambu as the door closed on his mother. There was a question in his eyes, but he wouldn't voice it. It was up to Nambu to guess what the question was.

Nambu got down on one knee and opened his arms to him. Mark was in it like a shot. Only now did he let his tears fall. He hadn't cried earlier in his mother's presence, and Nambu knew that it was because he didn't want to upset her. But now, he let his tears flow freely as he grieved for his father.

Nambu stroked his back comfortingly. The action only reminded him of another time when he had once done the same for Jun. His arms tightened around Mark reflexively.

At that time, to offer his foster daughter protection and build her confidence and self worth, he had apprenticed her to a sensei. He hadn't known then what else he could do. He hadn't meant to turn her into a 'warrior', or even for her to join the Kagaku Ninjatai. Nambu promised himself that he wasn't going to do the same to Mark.

Mark eventually, pushed himself off Nambu's shoulder, and took the proffered handkerchief to clean his face.

{I pray that I won't fail them in bringing up Mark.} Nambu brushed a wave of hair from Mark's eyes, {Even if I was tempted to, I could never turn Mark into a killer. It's not in him. In his eyes are the soul of a poet. I would never turn him against his nature.}

As he looked into the pair of serious blue eyes, Nambu had to wonder if he had pushed the Kagaku Ninjatai too hard in their early years. Did he, in his obsessions, molded unsuspecting children into the killers? Did these - children know what they were truly getting into, before he shoved them into the role of soldiers?

"Penny for your thoughts, Nambu?"

Nambu shook himself out of his reverie to look at the red-haired woman at the door.

"Pandora?"

"I don't believe you?"

"Wha-?"

"No, I don't believe *I* was on your mind." She laughed as she breezed into his office, and opened his windows to let the cigarette smoke out, "I saw Katherine leave, and I thought I should come to see if you needed any help looking for your teeth."

Nambu couldn't stop the blush which colored his cheeks.

Pandora placed her hand on Mark's shoulder and gently eased the boy towards the door, "Mark, Samantha is in the canteen keeping company with a huge ice cream sundae, and it looks like she won't be able to finish it on her own. Why don't you go to her rescue?"

The sudden appearance of a grin on the boy's face, surprised Nambu. Mark looked at him first in question, and he waved the boy on. Pandora grinned as the boy dashed out the door.

"Your daughter's going to grow up to be quite a siren, Pandora. Barely eleven and she *already* has Mark twisted around her little finger."

"Hard to imagine they hated each other's guts, not more than two years ago. They grow up so much faster through a war."

Nambu looked away for a moment.

"She left Mark with you, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"And what now? Are you afraid that you'll be tempted to train him up. Make him a warrior."

"No! I could never do that, I never wanted to do that. I never intended to do it with Jun. I adopted her, she was my daughter, I just wanted to - wanted to protect her after - after her earlier difficulties. I never thought - never expected her to weedle her way into the Kagaku Ninjatai project."

"And do you regret it."

"No. I can't say I do. Sometimes she makes me so damn proud - I'd never do that to Mark, it isn't in him."

"Than why do you look so guilty? They made their own decisions, Nambu. You never forced any of the Kagaku Ninjatai to continue with the program. You gave them every opportunity to leave at any time. Don't doubt that."

"Mark had a voice like an angel." He whispered.

"Pardon?"

"Mark." Nambu waved his hand in the direction of the door, "Did you know he used to sing? Jason would tease him about getting an operation so that he could keep that angelic voice. He never talked again since - since Jason ... "

"That wasn't your fault, Nambu. I was not around then, and though you've all refused to talk about it, I think I've gathered together enough of the facts to understand what happened."

"I should have tried to stop the rivalry between Jinpei and Jason. I was ashamed to realize that I actually encouraged it."

"You did not force those performance drugs in his hands, Nambu. You did not give them to him, nor did you force them down his throat." Pandora lifted his chin to make him look her in the eye, "What boy or girl wouldn't have wanted to be a Kagaku Ninjatai? They are our elite commando unit. They take on the missions which are out of the league of the Navy Seals, or the Army's Special Forces. Jason wanted an edge, and he looked for it in the wrong way. It is not your fault."

"I should have been more observant! I should have noticed the difference when Jason started beating Jinpei in his challenges. That should not have been possible!"

"And when have *you* had the time to watch over the games and challenges of *all* the children of the base?"

"I should have at least noticed that Jason's intake of water was abnormally high."

"How? Did you take a tally of each glass of water he ingested? Considering how little water normal people consume in the course of a day, compared to how much they should actually consume to stay in top physical condition; I don't see why you, or anyone else for that matter would have objected to his drinking."

"He shouldn't have ingested so much."

"He wouldn't have known. Performance drugs have been outlawed for decades. How would he have known that his body could become water intoxicated? That the drugs reduced his kidney's effectiveness in removing excess water from his system? That by ingesting more and more water, he could force the water into his brain cells?"

"Nambu, *you* could not have done anything. Only those who were closer to Jason, would have known what was happening, they could have warned one of the adults. When Jason collapsed it was already too late."

A sudden understanding came to him, "Mark?"

"He is already punishing himself, Nambu. Don't look at it as if Mark is *your* punishment, that he is a reminder to you of your failure." Pandora told him gently, "Think about it, Mark must have known Jason was taking the performance drugs. He must have found out somehow, but was sworn to secrecy. Jason might have even sworn him into a pact of silence."

"So when his elder brother died of drug complications, Mark decided that it was his fault for not talking. For not 'ratting' on his brother." Nambu was shocked at how simply the facts fitted together now.

"And how could he have been expected to make that judgment? Mark needs you, Nambu. You look at him and you think you see Sayuri, and your mistake in not asking her to stay behind with her son instead of following Kentaro to BC Island. You think you see your own failure to have first protected Kentaro's eldest son. You think you see your failure in protecting Jason. But you don't see Mark's need of absolution for a guilt. His own guilt for not having spoken up for a loved one."

"Let go of it, Nambu." Pandora gripped Nambu's arms, "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. Let go of it. If not for yourself, do it for Mark. He could misinterpret the shame he sees in you, as the shame you feel for him. For his 'crime' of nonintervention."

Nambu had to look away from her. His hand reached up to involuntarily touch the small scar on his chin, as his thoughts ran back to the fateful day. When Kentaro made the decision to take Jason off life support after he stayed in a coma for a week. Katherine was wearing her wedding ring when she punched Nambu across the room for her son's death. Nambu felt that he deserved it, and the scar it left would be his constant reminder of how his obsessions had lead to a nightmare. After that, Katherine had taken Mark as far away as she could from the ISO center.

"I did over hear Katherine tell you that it wasn't your fault."

"It-"

"I also heard about that punch, but I'd guess it was for your part in creating the Kagaku Ninjatai, and therefore creating that unattainable goal Jason kept reaching for."

"Let it go, Kozaburo."

"You're a cybernetic specialist, Pandora." Nambu let a wry smile touch his lips when he finally looked up at her, "When did you become a psychologist as well."

"When I became a mother." She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door, "Come with me. We're leaving the base now.

"What? Pandora, we have mee-"

"No we do not, I took on the position as your Personal Assistant, and part of the duties is to maintain your sanity, and general well being. I rearranged all your meetings for the day, you are leaving the office early."

"But-"

"-and going out for dinner, theater, and supper with a platonic friend."

"Wait, what about-"

"I bribed, Kemo. He'll watch over Sammie and Mark for us. Any more questions?"

"I bet you have my schedule mapped out until the day I die. Up to, and including, what I'll be wearing for the funeral." He pouted at her, unable to come up with anymore excuses to stay in the office.

Pandora laughed at him, "Complaining? You were probably never so organized in your life, before I signed on."

"Sylvia ... platonic?"

"Platonic." She smiled almost regretfully, "We tried once."

"Platonic."

He let her lead him out of the office.


	3. Crush on You

Sam stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, listening to the strains of a ballad on the radio. His mind though, wasn't even thinking of the lyrics to the song, but on an image of a pair of cold blue eyes.

Jun had tried to entice him out to her snack bar earlier, but he ignored her. He felt rotten about how he had been treating her lately. He wasn't angry with her or anything, so why was he so impatient and angry lately? Why was he being such a jerk?

Sam rolled over to punch into his pillow.

"Who're you kidding, Anderson? You're mad at yourself and your blindness. Damn those freaks were good."

Hindsight, isn't that just a wonderful thing to have. All the signs were there for them to see they just didn't put it together. The moment of their revelation had shocked all of them. Sam closed his eyes in renewed pain of the memory.

*~*~*~*~*

> On that fateful mission, Ryu's had punched the head of the New God Phoenix into the belly of the Gallactor Mecha. The stress caused by the rupture had ripped through the mecha, and split it open like a pumpkin.
> 
> Many of the Gallactor soldiers had fallen to their deaths then, when they were sucked out of the breech by the air pressure. The rest of the ship had tilted, and for the remaining occupants the floor had suddenly become the ceiling.
> 
> Among those barely able to hang on for their lives were the Gallactor leaders and the other four members of the Kagaku Ninjatai.
> 
> Falcon Sam had found himself in the compromising position of holding one of Lady Eagle's hands, in his effort preventing her from being lost through the breech. She in turn was holding her sister. Mako was helping Jun and Jinpei.
> 
> Katse and Egobossler were not as lucky. Even at the distance, the Kagaku Ninjatai could see that their grip was slipping.
> 
> "Katse-sama!!"
> 
> "Cassary!!"
> 
> Sam had tightened his grip on her hand, he didn't want to let her go.
> 
> "Don't let go of me!"
> 
> "Andy?" She exchanged one last long look, and released his hand.
> 
> "Nooooo, Eagle!" Her hand slipped out of his grip.
> 
> As one the two raptors had turned away to dive towards the slipping Gallactor leaders.
> 
> "Eagle!!"
> 
> Sam had felt despair clench its fist about his heart. It was loyalty to the death ... that was all he could reason. The loyalty of the Raptors to their leaders commanded that they die with the leaders they had sworn to protect.
> 
> Or so they thought.
> 
> What followed, happened so fast, the Kagaku Ninjatai were scarcely able to reconcile the event as it happened. The body tattoos, which they had always thought were decorative, had flared up into an energy form of a white eagle and a blue condor.
> 
> The Kagaku Ninjatai had stared in stunned amazement as these astral birds wrapped their wings around the two girls. When the wings reached up again in an upbeat, they had turned into black cape wings and revealed beneath them the armored form of the Ravens.
> 
> Before the Kagaku Ninjatai could recover from their shock, the Ravens had caught up with the falling leaders. They each wrapped an arm around the waist of their target and swoop up again by the capability of their winged capes.
> 
> By the time the Kagaku Ninjatai returned to the God Phoenix and disengaged from the sickened Mecha. The Gallactors had disappeared into the clouds.

*~*~*~*~*

"One and the same. Raptors, and Ravens. How could we have been so blind?!" Sam covered his face with his hands.

With his fingers on his face, he couldn't help but feel and trace the lines of the scar across his face. Yet another reminder of the scorn the Gallactors must have for him.

"We were played for fools. Bitch!"

Sam tried to quell the anger, which threatened to flare within him. It would do no good to lose his temper. Anger clouded the mind.

Since they found out the truth, he had been openly hostile to their every appearance. And he had let his anger guide them to disaster. His rage so clouded his judgement that he didn't think things through during the last mission. No matter what anyone might say, it was his fault Red Impulse had to sacrifice his life to save them.

If he had thought things through, he would have realized that the Ravens would not have allowed the world to expire. He shouldn't have thought it possible of her. She would not have ...

Sam unconsciously reached for a tiny coin he had on his bedside table. She had given it to him once as a warning to back off. An image of her face came unbidden to his mind.

"Damn it Anderson! You're going steady with Jun! She's just a dream, she's not even human!"

Sam tried to banish her image from his mind, but he just couldn't. Instead his mind drifted back to the first reconnaissance mission he had with Herman under deep cover.

*~*~*~*~*

> Dr. Nambu had wanted them to check out a casino, which had changed management near a hidden ISO base. The ISO operatives at the base were convinced that there was Gallactor involvement in the takeover.
> 
> With special glasses and earphones the ISO had provided them for this mission, they were doing modestly well at the tables. So far, they could detect no indications of foul play in the way the Casino was run.
> 
> The odds were fair, the tables clean. There did not appear to be any strange or unusual coming and going of agents. If there was any strangeness, it would have been attributed to the two undercover agents who appeared to be having unusual luck at the tables.
> 
> That was when Sam had his first nonviolent encounter with the Lady Eagle. And things started to heat up at the blackjack table.
> 
> A pale hand had stopped the dealer's hand from dealing the cards. It took a while for Sam to register the significance of the white orchid, which graced the back of the hand.
> 
> "My Lady-"
> 
> "Take a break, Tony." Her cool voice brought Sam's eyes up from his chips to stare into a pair of deep blue eyes.
> 
> The dealer quickly scuttled away. As if sensing a change in the atmosphere, the less serious players and onlookers quickly drifted away. The girl took the dealer's place and started to distribute the cards.
> 
> "Haven't seen you in these parts before, *Andy*."
> 
> "Didn't think I'd meet you here." Sam was starting to sweat, she obviously knew who he was.
> 
> "It's my house."
> 
> He laughed nervously. What was her game? If they were in a Gallactor owned operation, they must have been surrounded by hoards of Gallactor agents. If she blew the whistle on him, he was as good as dead.
> 
> She won that hand.
> 
> She was good, very good. Even with the glasses, Sam didn't see that. The other players had left a long time ago. It was clearly a game between him and her.
> 
> "Our houses are always legit, Andy. Our doors are opened to anyone, within certain rules." She slid two cards to him.
> 
> "And what rules might they be?" He asked as he picked up his cards.
> 
> "Rules of civility."
> 
> "We're just in for the entertainment Lady, like all other places."
> 
> "The action's not as hot as our other places." She picked up her cards. "But it is safer."
> 
> "For who?" Sam gestured for another card.
> 
> "The question's not needed. We have other lines of business."
> 
> "Yeah, don't we all."
> 
> "Blackjack."
> 
> Sam stared at her cards. She won again.
> 
> "Don't try to cause any trouble, Andy. It's not appreciated." She purred as she rose to her feet. She reached over to tuck a coin into his hair behind his ear, severing the microphone hookup from the glasses to the earphones.
> 
> In that same smooth move, her hand brushed his face, teasingly running her finger on the line of his hidden scar before she pulled his glasses off. "We have many other houses, Andy. All legit and strictly business."
> 
> She clipped the glasses down the front of her dress.
> 
> "Look for me if you want them back, Andy. You've won enough from the other tables today. We can meet again some ... other time?" She had purred to him when she walked away from the table. " You're welcome back to this house anytime though."

*~*~*~*~*

He and Herman had left as fast as they could without arousing suspicion. Sam could still recall the fragrance of her perfume as she leaned towards him. That teasing touch which left his skin --

"Damn you, Anderson!" Sam sat up angrily, "She's not real! She's a he! And he's Raven 1!"

{But not all the time. No, not all the time.} Sam groaned as he got out of his bed and made his way to the kitchen.

Another image came to him unbidden, when he opened the fridge to stare at the carton of milk. The colors of the carton reminded him of the uniform of the Cyborg Gallactors, and that one time when he and Getz had to face the prototype Gallactor Cyborg.

The Cyborg proved to be a model that was later perfected, and used quite extensively, by the Count Egobossler in his Kingdom. But before that came to pass, the Gallactors and the Kagaku Ninjatai had to deal with the first of the creations. And the first of Katse's creations had been quite mad.

*~*~*~*~*

> Sam and Herman had been warned about Galet X, after the Cyborg had hurt Ryu and put the big guy down for the count with broken ribs. They heard the screams of children coming from the orphanage, and had looked out the hospital window to see the creature attacking the orphanage. From the distance, they saw the Raptors charged it, trying desperately to distract Katse's rabid creation Galet X before it could reach the children.
> 
> They had changed to bird style immediately and hasten to the orphanage.
> 
> The Cyborg had gone wild. It seemed totally impervious to the lashing Lady Eagle gave it to try and slow it's progress. Thorns and razors sliced through the uniform to tear at the skin beneath, but Galet X appeared unaffected by pain or discomfort.
> 
> At her sister's shriek, Lady Condor had turned from her efforts of herding the children to safety, to see her sister being dragged around by her braid. The creature's hands were bleeding as it gripped the braid and swung the girl around, but again it did not seem to notice. Condor had cried out, as she dived into the fray, but Galet X appeared to have kept presence of mind enough to hurl Eagle at her. Both had gone down hard.
> 
> When Falcon Sam and Hawk Getz arrived on the scene, the Cyborg had been on the verge of assaulting the stunned girls. When the ham like hands reached for, and tore the dress from the pale body, Sam had seen red.
> 
> Unmindful of his own danger, he had leaped in and smashed both feet into the Cyborg's face, making it stagger backwards, and away from the Raptors. She had looked up at him then, her bosom heaving in fright and shock. He couldn't recall ever seeing her like this before; with her hair disheveled, and looking so vulnerable ... like a frightened deer threatened by a lion.
> 
> The Cyborg's roar made him tear his eyes away from her to face the fresh onslaught.
> 
> The Cyborg was strong and fast. Even in bird style, Sam and Herman weren't making much headway. The Raptors had already retreated leaving them to deal with Katse's mad creation alone. But not for long ... The appearance of the Ravens, herald a turning point in the unequal battle.
> 
> "Its head is vulnerable." Raven 1 shouted as Galet X threw Hawk Getz at him. Raven 1 dodged and caught him to redirect his flight back at the Cyborg, "We have to get the helmet off!"
> 
> "Can't you control his mind?"
> 
> "It has no mind to hold on to." Raven 2 yelled back as he shot the ground behind Galet X just as Getz hammered feet first into it's chest.
> 
> "Falcon, slice out his eyes!"
> 
> Later, Sam couldn't explain why he acted so instinctively to follow Raven 1's orders. But his hand had drawn back to let the bird rang fly. The razor edge of the boomerang sliced through the visor of the helmet in a spray of vitreous humor and blood.
> 
> This time the Cyborg roared in pain. They didn't dare let up on their attack. Getz, who was the closest, had leaped on its back and seized its helmet to try and yank it off. Raven 2 had joined him, and before the Cyborg could reach up to grab them, the helmet was off and both men were in the air and out of reach.
> 
> That was the moment Raven 1 finally closed in with his sword.
> 
> An object rolled away as the body convulsed a few times before finally becoming still. Ravens and Kagaku Ninjatai stood around the body, for a moment basking in their victory over the monstrosity and awkwardness over their successful team-up.
> 
> "It would be best if you had this removed before the children return." Raven 1 whispered as he wiped his blade on the Cyborg's shirt.
> 
> "Are the Rap-"
> 
> "You would be advised to forget them, Hawk Getz."
> 
> "Now wait a-"
> 
> "We recognize that if not for your intervention, the ladies might have suffered grievously. You have our thanks, and we are in your debt for that. But their safety and well being is none of your business, Falcon. We take care of our own."
> 
> "They are none of your concern, Falcon Sam. Better that you see to your own safety."
> 
> With that, the Ravens had slipped away back into the shadows.

*~*~*~*~*

Sam frowned at this memory. He often wondered at the inconsistent limitations of the Ravens' psychic powers. True, the Cyborg had no mind to speak of for Raven 2 to seize control of, but Raven 1 should have been able to kill it with a thought. Sam shivered at the idea. No one in his right mind would want to be on the wrong side of Raven 1.

> "They are none of your concern, Falcon Sam. Better that you see to your own safety."

He hadn't heeded them then.

> "You are down right loony!" Getz had yelled at Sam at the end of that mission, "She'd kill you if she ever got a chance."

"Maybe not." Sam said to the phantom of his erstwhile teammate. "Raven 1, could have taken my head off. But he always spared me. Never really knew why. But it does make perverse sense now." 


	4. Rendezvous at Snack J

"So what'sha girl like ya doin' ina dump like dhis?" 

Jun grinned at the slurred words and turned from the cash register to look up at Mako. 

"I run the joint, what's your excuse." 

"Hey Mako!" Jinpei looked up from where he was waiting on a table. 

"Hey yourself, what about some service here?" Mako laughed as she slumped into a booth. 

"I only wait on paying customers, freeloader." 

Jun walked to the booth to look over her teammate. "So what'll it be?" 

"Nothing, just talk." Mako waved her away, "I notice you walk out of the debriefing room alone. Do you want to talk about it?" 

"Not now-" 

"When?" Mako caught her hand to stop her from leaving, "You were there for me when Getz died. I know you need someone to talk to now." 

Their eyes locked in a challenge. Jun's lower lip trembled. 

"Maybe later, when I close this place." 

"It's a date, I'll wait." Mako released her hand, "meantime I'll have the Ruben with fries and a ginger ale." 

As Jun walked away, the bell on the door to the Snack J jingled again as it admitted the last member of the team. 

"Hey Ryu!" 

"Ryu! Come on over." Mako waved at him. 

"Who's paying?" Ryu looked at her suspiciously. 

"The Dutch and the Duchess." 

"You'd better." Jun passed their table as she carried a tray to another table. "If you've forgotten, I don't wear cuffs anymore." 

"You wound us, princess. The knights would hardly allow the lady fair to carry them." Mako laughed as Ryu strode over to join her. 

"What are you having big guy?" Jinpei asked as he approached their table. 

"I'll start off with potato skins, an order of Buffalo wings, nachos with cheese, two double cheese burgers with fries, and a jug of beer." 

"You storing fat for the winter, 'Tiny'?" Mako stared at him. 

"On second thoughts cancel the beer, make that two diet cokes." 

"*Diet* coke?" Jinpei frowned at him. 

"I don't like the regular, too much sugar." 

Jinpei walked away mumbling at the incongruous order. 

"So how's our fearless leader?" Mako asked as Jinpei disappeared behind the counter. 

"Ease off, Mako. Sam's trying his best." Ryu grunted, "I have as much right to be angry with him as you do." 

"Your folks' are still alive, Ryu - " 

"Living as fugitives, they are afraid to even walk the streets. It's killing my dad, Mako. He was always the outdoors man, the sea was his *life*, now ..." 

"Yo, chill Ryu, I'm sorry. It'll get better. It has to." Mako placed her hand on his. 

Ryu's other hand came to rest on hers. 

"I'm sorry too Mako. It can't be easy for you to adjust to our pace." 

Mako smiled at his words. Jinpei swung by to slide the bowl of Nachos with dishes of salsa and the drinks on the table before leaving. Ryu didn't remove his hands to touch the food. 

"Makes me wonder how well I really knew Herman." Mako's eyes turned far away, "You kept so many secrets from me. Hell, I don't even know how much he never told me." 

"We had to-" 

"Hey I'm not slamming any of you." Mako assured him, "I know why. If we switched positions, I'd have done the same." 

"I can't believe how blind I was though." Mako drew her hands out of Ryu's grip, "You guys have not been the most discrete bunch." 

"The scar-" 

"Yes, Sam's affliction. Makeup can only do so much." 

Ryu reached for the Nachos and poured the drinks with his other hand. 

"How did he get the scar?" Mako finally asked, as they started to eat. 

"Nothing to be proud about." Ryu grumbled behind a mouthful of nachos. 

"Ryu, I've been with this team for how many months no-" 

"I'm sorry. You have a right to know, Mako." He sighed, "And we never really got the chance to sit down and brief you about all the past missions with Getz." 

"It has been a crazy time, hasn't it. Can't believe that I've been in this madness for half a year now." 

"Has it been *six* months?" Ryu looked at her shocked, "Man, we're *really* behind time in bringing you up to speed." 

"So much so it doesn't really matter anymore does it?" 

"No Mako, you have a right to know. And now's probably the best time for us to sit down and recount our career." 

"Now?" 

"That last mission was the biggest event we've ever faced since the war started." Ryu told her as Jinpei swung by with the basket of Buffalo wings, and potato skins. "The impact of the other missions were trivial compared to that mission." 

"The V-2 was a major gambit for the Gallactor Empire. So we can probably expect the Gallactors to lie low for a while until they can build up steam again. This is as good a time as any for us to reminisce over our achievements" 

"Feeling old, Big guy?" Mako asked as she grabbed a wing. 

Ryu flashed a grin at her before continuing. "It was the first time we met the Ravens. They caught us out flat-footed. We were totally unprepared to deal with someone better than we were." 

Mako made a rude noise, "Better? You're kidding me?" 

"Wish I was. The Black Birds can't touch us, Mako. But the Ravens are a class of their own." 

Mako stared at him. "But, what we've seen -" 

"You've never seen them *really* fight, Mako." Jun told her as she approached with the rest of their order. 

Ryu took a drink before continuing, "That's why Sam was so hard on himself during debriefing." 

"They weren't seriously fighting us at the base." Ryu's eyes were distant as he recalled the battle, "They let the Black Birds take us on back there." 

"Anyway, we came off second best in that first meeting. Raven 1 had Sam pinned to the floor with the ebony sword at his throat." Ryu droned on, "They could have finished us there and then, but Raven 1 just removed Sam's helmet and cut the scar across his face." 

"They let us leave with our tail between our legs." Jun added as she remove the empty bowl with the salsa dishes, "Sam's had this problem about self confidence ever since." 

"Damn, that's also when you started having problems with him?" 

Jun's eyes flashed in brief anger, but the fire died away just as quickly. 

"Yes." She walked away before more could be said. 

Ryu gaze followed Jun for a moment before he turn towards Mako. 

"Before this whole war started, Jun and Sam were tight." Ryu told her, "Just like you and Getz were tight." 

"Were we?" Mako laughed around a mouthful of food, "From what I've seen so far, I knew nothing about Getz. But Sam and Jun ... they looked like they were made for each other." 

"Like I said they were tight. Then things really started getting complicated when Gallactor appeared." 

"The Raptors you mean." 

"We're full blooded males, Mako." Ryu blushed, "It was eye candy when we first saw them." 

"With the bits of nothing that they wear, and hems to heaven, I'm not surprised. Jun was mad?" 

"Was I ever." Jun said as she stopped over again to pour the rest of the diet coke in Ryu's glass and removed the bottles, "The drool factor was way up there." Jun held one hand over her head. 

"We noticed you staring at the Ravens too, Jun." Ryu fluttered his eyelids and pursed his lips as he mimicked a falsetto, "The Ravens are sooo manly." 

Jun kicked his foot under the table. Ryu made a show of receiving a grievous injury, enough to cause the girls to laugh at his antics. 

"We had to forget it fast though, I mean those girls wanted to kill us!" Ryu told Mako, "They were deadly." 

"Yeah and they were good." Jun nodded grimly as she sat with them for a moment, "I don't think Sam will ever recover from the time Lady Eagle, plucked his bird-rang out of the air with her whip." 

"What?" 

"That's right. She caught the bird-rang in mid-flight and returned it with a flick of the whip." 

"She used Sam's own weapon to kill the double agent we were guarding." Ryu sighed, "Sam's taken a lot of flack from the Ravens and the Raptors." 

"They were undermining his confidence!" 

"Didn't we all *know* that? They did a good job of it too." Jun glanced across the room to notice a customer looking around for attention, "Excuse me." 

Ryu watched Jun walk away for a moment. 

"Their relationship's on the rocks again?" 

Ryu looked at Mako again. "Too often, Mako. Way too often." 

They watched her disappear into the kitchen. 

"Mako, Jun's family to me too. And now is the time when I know she'll need someone to talk to who will understand what she's going through." 

"She can fill me in on the other events." 

Ryu gave her a curt nod as he picked up the last of his empty plates and walked towards the counter. 

"Hey boss lady, you've got the night off, get lost." Ryu took the tray from Jun as she emerged from the kitchen. 

"Wha-" 

"Me and the kid'll lock up tonight." Ryu glanced at the order form and headed towards the numbered table. 

"But Ryu-" 

Mako came up behind her and undid the apron. She threw it to Jinpei, and caught the jacket he threw back at her. 

"Come on Princess. It's a Ladies' night out." 

Before Jun could protest any further, Mako had her jacket around her shoulders and pulled her towards the door. 

"But-?" 

"I promise not to bankrupt you, Boss Lady." Ryu laughed as they exited.

*~*~*~*~*

Sam appeared at the Snack J, long after the girls left.

"Where's Jun?" Sam asked as he poked his head into the kitchen. 

"Out, and you just volunteered to be the dishwasher." Ryu threw a dishtowel at him. 

"Hey wait a second, I'm the commander of this here squad." 

"Not in civilian mode you ain't. Jun's with Mako, let the ladies talk." Ryu flipped a burger on the grill. 

"And she left you in charge of *food*?" 

Ryu didn't dignify the question with a retort, "Stick around Sam, we're gonna have a beer later." 

"That's all right I-" 

"We're *gonna* have a beer." 

"That sounds good." 

"You're under aged, Jinpei. You're going home." 

"Aawwww." 

"Deliver the burger to table 12, Jinpei. Now scoot." Ryu gave him a whack in the seat of the pants. "And *you*, we are going to have a beer together after we close for the night." 

"I just - I guess that sounds right." Sam sighed as he pushed away the frying ladle Ryu was waving at his nose. 

Sam reached for an apron, before approaching the sink to start on the dishes.

*~*~*~*~*

It was an hour before midnight when they close the place, and sent Jinpei home. The Tiger was as good a place to stop for a drink and more talk.

"We haven't done this in a long time, eh Ryu?" Sam asked before he took a long drag on his beer. 

"Gone out to drink?" 

"Not like this. I - I miss him." Sam toasted a phantom that sat beside him, before draining the rest of his mug. 

"We all do." Ryu signaled the bartender who set two more foaming mugs in front of them. 

"We - also haven't talked much." 

"Night's young, Sam." 

"Did you get married and have kids behind our backs, Ryu?" Sam asked him suddenly irritated. 

"What? Excuse me, did I miss a page turn?" Ryu stared at him confused. 

Sam started to laugh at the confusion on his face. 

"Hell, I must have missed a whole chapter." 

"No, I- I'm sorry Ryu." Sam stifled his laugh, "It just - its just that, sometime you sound so old and wise, I'd swear you were a granddad." 

"Can I help it? I'm the wise old owl of the team." 

"An apt description, Ryu. An apt description." 

"So now," Ryu dragged his jacket over his head like a hood, and changed his tone and demeanor to that of an ancient old lady, "tell ole agony-aunty what's bugging you, and we can move on to some serious drinking." 

Sam hit his shoulder playfully and sighed deeply before speaking. 

"Jun." 

"Very good now, deary. The sixth month of the year, now say Ju-ly." 

Sam shot him a look which made Ryu lapse back into silence. 

"Ryu, I - I don't know if we love each other anymore." 

Ryu reached out to grip his arm. "You can't be serious? Do you want to break up with Jun?" 

"You see?" Sam looked at the hand, which was holding his arm, "It's as if my whole life story's already written and we're just actors in the play." 

"Well, Sam. Back up a few scenes, because you just lost me." 

"From the moment we met, it's felt like everyone expected us to get married one day." Sam told him after he took another drink, "I mean, they introduced me to Jun, Ryu. I didn't just meet her one day and decided 'oh my god, this is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.'" 

"Who's 'they'?" 

"My granddad and Dr. Nambu." Sam sighed as he finished his beer, "I - I sometimes feel as though everything in my life is in their control." 

"Is that how you see it with Jun?" 

"Partially, I mean she's a nice girl and all, but I feel as if I have to make it with her because it's what Granddad and Hakase expects. I'm doing everything others expect of me. When can I make my own decisions?" 

The Bartender caught Ryu's signal and slid two more beers down the counter. Sam didn't even notice Ryu switch his empty mug for a one filled with the foaming brew. 

"I feel as if I'm walking down the path set down for me by my grandfather and Hakase. I'm doing ... I'm trying to do everything they expect of me." 

"And you don't love Jun?" 

"Hell yes I love her! It's just - I - don't know if I love her enough, to want to be with her forever and ever." Sam sighed, "I'll never hurt her, Ryu. I won't break off the engagement. I'll not break her heart." 

"It would hurt - the team as well. We'd never be able to work together again. Hakase was livid when Jun insisted on joining us. I'm sure you heard the story." 

"Yeah I did. He still let her though." 

"Granddad and he were so sure we'd never break up." Sam stared into his beer for a moment. 

"When did you start feeling this way?" 

"I can't pin point it." 

"I'll hazard a guess; this all started when we met the Avatar and his Raptors?" Ryu asked, "When you found your eyes straying and couldn't stop it?" 

"Yes - No. I don't know." 

"You're still obsessed, Sam. I can see it ... we all can see it." Ryu finished his beer, "You've been fighting in rage for the last few missions ..." 

"They're freaks!" 

"Doesn't mean you don't care." Ryu pointed out, "When they want to be, they're all woman aren't they?" 

Sam's ears went very red. "I don't want to talk about it." 

"You slept with the Eagle didn't you?" 

Sam threw his mug of beer at Ryu's face. Unfortunately, Ryu ducked and the beer hit the customer beside him. 

"Hey! What's the big deal?" 

Sam ducked under the fist thrown in his direction. The said fist instead struck the patron behind him. In moments a full-scale bar brawl broke out.


	5. Leading Men

Sam and Ryu looked stealthily from the roof of the adjoining building, as the cops pulled the bar's patrons into the paddy wagon.

"You started that fight deliberately." Sam glared at Ryu accusingly.

"You needed it." Ryu shot back, "Think anyone will remember us?"

"Not likely. The bartender won't rat on us ... or will he? Do you think Mako will carry us for the damages?"

"Ask her in the morning." Ryu laughed as he gave Sam a hand up, "Lucky for us you heard the siren."

"Last thing I want to do, is face my granddad. If he has to go to the police station to bail us out ..." Sam grimaced at the thought.

"Wonder what the public would think of a Gatchaman, who can be such a public nuisance."

Sam's face clouded at Ryu's use of his honorific.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not Gatchaman."

"Of course you are, Sa-"

"I don't deserve it-"

Ryu's fist connected with Sam's jaw.

"Well then it's just too bad, because that's your title and no one can take it away. You can't give away that title, Sam. For better or for worse, you're Gatchaman until the day you die." Ryu stood over him, "The rest of us don't matter, Sam. God's teeth, we all had to change uniforms so that Jun would be rid of the skirt, so that the gender change of the Hawk would be hardly noticeable! And hardly anyone commented on the change of the Hawk. We switched over from Hawk Getz to Hawk Mako without *any* fanfare. It'll be the same if any more of us change. But you're it!"

"The Ravens gave you that scar to remind you that we are all human. And you should damn well wear that scar with pride. It identifies you as Gatchaman even as a civilian. So start acting like Gatchaman."

"But that's all that I'm doing now! *Acting*. You ever consider that Ryu?!" Sam stared up at his G5, rage coloring his tones, "What have I accomplished? Huh? Tell me! What good has the great Gatchaman done with the Kagaku Ninjatai?"

"Every time something suspicious comes up, we go in and stamp it out. At every battle the casualties grow, another city is destroyed, another wealth of resources destroyed. We win the battles, but what about the war?"

"Those left in our wake have *nothing* to return to. How many times have we left a city in victory, and looked down to see the despair of the populace when they see the ruins? How easy has it been for the Alliance of Nations to twist these feelings, into bitterness at our methods?"

Ryu was rocked back on his heels, "Sam - ar - are you saying the Gallactors are *deliberately* losing against us?"

Sam hugged his knees to his chest as he started to laugh bitterly. "What else can we conclude, Ryu? What do we know of Berg Katse? He is reputed to have an IQ of what? 280? So how come there are so many flaws in his Mecha designs? We've seen the true strategic mastery of the Ravens. So why is it, we still see so many lame-brained mistakes and bad decisions that give us the victory?"

"The Gallactors enter each city subtly, over months and years, quietly replacing the influential, subverting the people in power, and converting the populace to their creed. Yet the moment we start sniffing around, all silence is thrown to the winds, and they unleash a Mecha on us? Why give up on something, they spent so much time infiltrating, so quickly? Why even let hints of their activities leak out?"

"Look at the big picture! The Mechas appear quickly, as if the Gallactors were *forced* to call on their last line of defense. The menace was kept under wraps at all time, until we appear. The next thing these people know, there's an aerial battle overhead and the sky is raining fire."

"Each time one of these Mechas is destroyed, a city is left in ruins. With most of the leaders killed, or gone because of our appearance, who's left to mobilize the survivors? The victims only see the destruction, they can only remember the comfort they lost. They don't care 'why'? To them, we disrupted a perfectly comfortable existence."

"In the long run, it doesn't really matter to these people where the alliances of their leaders run. As long as their schools are equipped; the people have enough to eat; it's safe for them to walk the streets. What does it matter to them that their leaders worship the 'Living God'? What does it matter that somebody believes the Messiah walks the earth?"

"They don't see the strip mining, or the plunder of resources that's so carefully hidden. And they never will, because the Gallactors always cover their tracks. All they see is the wrecked schoolyard, the homes destroyed, the water treatment plants in ruins. Then the AN approaches them to help them rebuild and offer them funds, which they got from the Gallactor pillage of their lands."

"What do you suggest we do, stop all investigations?"

"We *can't*. And there's the grand Catch-22, Ryu. If we leave it alone, we let the Gallactors quietly take over another city, another state, another country! Yet when we try to investigate, they cause enough destruction to destroy everything in their path *and* shift the blame to us."

"Only those cities not afflicted see us as heroes, and the numbers are growing smaller with the passing months. The AN is always quick to offer assistance to the bereaved cities and turn their sentiment against us. And despite all this, we *still* can't prove the Alliance of Nations is in league with the Gallactor Empire!"

Ryu was shocked into silence.

"What can be done then? We fight, and fight. And accomplish nothing. The Alliance grows stronger every passing month." Great tears rolled down Sam's face, catching slightly on the scar, "What can *I* do?"

"What good am I, Ryu?" Sam turned his tear stained face up at his comrade, "I can't even keep us all alive?"

"Sam, we supported you in that decision." Ryu reminded him, "Herm was getting too antsy in Endora. His obsession with the Raptors was becoming a danger to us all. We couldn't trust him to stay in his hometown, and you already dragged him back from his fruitless search twice. You *had* to send him away."

"Yeah, so that he could *die* when he stumbled on the Religious underground movement of BC Island."

"How could *you* have known that Katse was cracking down on them? How could *we* have predicted that Herm would hook up with a bunch of religious fanatics?"

"The Ravens saw us, Ryu. I felt Raven 2 touch my mind, just before we activated our bird style and the psi dampers kicked in. He must have seen it. It takes only a few minutes to send word down to BC Island."

"You ever think, that *maybe* Herm was already a prisoner when the Ravens spotted us, huh? We *rushed* to BC Island to get him. If the Gallactors only had minutes to replace him, how could it have been possible for us to be so completely fooled."

"We fought side by side for over two years! We've been training and palling around together since we were 15! That impostor hid among us for nearly twenty-four hours! Where did he get his information? The Ravens were behind us, and we know for a fact that there are no other telepaths in the Empire."

Sam looked down to stare at this feet, "Ryu, I don't know what to do anymore. To continue as we are is quite pointless. We are losing the war. How can I lead you, when I have no faith in myself."

Ryu towered over his commander, "Sam, I don't know what we can do about the war for now. But you? A woman once told me, Sam. 'If you forever think that you're a failure, you *will* be a failure. You become whatever you think you will become, because you've made it your goal.' We do our best, Sam. No one can ask anymore of us. Like it or not, you still have people who look up to you. So get off your butt and be a hero, be Gatchaman."

Sam looked up at his pilot.

"We're all here for you. Don't push us away, Sam. You're not walking this path alone."

"Aren't I?"

"Only if you insist." Ryu pulled him to his feet.

"Or what? You're going to hit me again?"

"If you need it."

"A bar brawl?"

"Well it has been tensed hasn't it?"

"Lord, we're in enough fights as it is, did we really need to get into another one to relax?"

"Of course we did. Especially a fight that's for fun."

"You, big guy, have a warped sense of fun."

"And you owe me a beer."

"I should have something in the fridge." Sam motioned Ryu to follow him as he took a running jump for the neighboring roof.

*~*~*~*~*

> Herman pulled his commander off his feet by his collar, "We are talking about *you*, Sam. Jun's all upset with you because you haven't spoken with her, and you're driving the rest of us crazy."
> 
> "Whatever happens between J-?" Sam's anger started to flare.
> 
> "Bull! We're a team in bird style and we're a family outside of it. And if you don't talk to someone soon, we're all convinced you're heading for the nut house. Now out with it!"
> 
> Herman waited expectantly for his commander to speak.
> 
> "I can't get her out of my mind, Herm."
> 
> Herman didn't need to guess who he meant, "And the Ravens touched a jealous vein?"
> 
> "It was like they staked their claim ... told us that it was hands off, or bear the consequences."
> 
> "Hello? Sam? Those girls are Gallactors? They should be *off* *limits* to us? Is there something you don't understand about this?"
> 
> "I know! It's just - "
> 
> "Rival gang in the school yard? We're the wrong crowd for them, 'Hands off, they are *our* girls, shrimp.' Gods! Sam, don't you think we had enough of that when we were in school." Herman threw his arms up exasperation. "In case you've forgotten, though I really do try to forget sometimes, *we* already have fiancées, Sam. *We* are already over our school boy infatuations and crushes."
> 
> "Are we? Or are you just able to hide it better?"
> 
> Herman looked away first.
> 
> "*You're* obsessed with the Lady Condor."
> 
> "Don't *ever* say that in front of Mako."
> 
> "Like she can't guess? What's wrong with us, Herman? We have Jun and Mako. They're fantastic people. We're engaged. Everyone thinks we make *fantastic* couples. Isn't that enough?"
> 
> "Feeling greedy?" Herman started to rub the back of his neck, "I don't know, maybe it's because we already - we already landed them. We're going steady with them. Whereas the Gallactor girls are - "
> 
> "Unattainable?"
> 
> "We can hardly go up to them and say, 'Hi, we love you. Will you leave Gallactor for us?'"
> 
> Sam started to laugh.
> 
> "To which they will reply, 'Oh that's just so sweet.'" Herman hammed it up with a falsetto, "'Why your love is strong enough to sway us from our loyalties to the Gallactor Empire. We'd be so glad to defect.'"
> 
> "Stop. Stop!" Sam was brawling in laughter now, "That's never going to happen."
> 
> "Sheesh, of course not. If those girls don't blow us away at first opportunity, the Ravens will do it for them."

*~*~*~*~*

"What are you staring at, Sam?" Ryu asked from his seat at the kitchen table, as Sam stood before the open refrigerator.

Sam shook himself out of his reverie and reached for the milk.

"Sorry big guy, I'm all out of beer. Only have the healthy stuff. So you want juice or milk?"

"Healthy stuff? Oh well - if I must, lemme have a glass of milk." Ryu threw him a mock expression of distaste.

Sam snorted as he poured out two glasses. Ryu's eyebrow twitched slightly as he noticed the colors of the carton. Sam caught the expression and decided to try and head him off.

"I'm obsessed."

"Mmmhmmmm?"

"Damn it, I had a crush on the Lady Eagle." Sam turned to yell at Ryu. "Even after knowing the truth, I'm still obsessed with the demon. Satisfied?!"

"Immensely, seeing how you're not throwing the milk in my face."

In spite of himself, Sam couldn't stop his snort of laughter at Ryu's calm statement.

"Wanna finally talk about it?"

Sam handed Ryu his glass of milk and sank dejectedly into the opposite seat.

"So when did it start?"

"When did what start?"

"The crush? They were beautiful, sultry ... Like I said it doesn't matter that they're mutants. When they change, it's complete isn't it? Nambu Hakase briefed us enough times over their religious texts. They are shape shifters, like Katse."

"Yeah. But Ryu, I never slept with her."

"I'm not sure if I believe you."

"It was that first time we were faced with that prototype cyborg." Sam continued as if he hadn't spoken, "They looked like they were in bad shape."

"The Gallactors take care of their own, Sam."

"I never saw them so badly battered before. It attacked them out - out of lust."

"They were probably no better off then we would have been without the bird styles, Sam. I should know. That beast beat *me* up good. At least you and Herm, got there in time to stop it."

"That was the first time I ever saw them looking so helpless." Sam's voice sank into a whisper, "It wasn't the body, or the face, Ryu. It was her eyes. And suddenly Jun's green eyes weren't as bright anymore."

Silence fell between them for a moment.

"So does it still matter to you, that they can be male half of the time?"

Sam's hand reached up unconsciously to traced the scar across his face. In his mind he imagined Lady Eagle's hand stroking the scar. He could almost hear the musical tinkle of her bracelets. A tinkle which you did not hear until she wanted you to hear it. Most often when it was far too late to do anything about it.

He could almost imagine feeling her hot breath against his cheek ... the heat of her body pressed against his ... Raven 1, holding a sword to his throa-

"Yo! Sam?!" Ryu waved his hand in front of his face.

Sam shook himself out of his reverie. Ryu's eyes were hard.

"You can't keep doing this, Sam. It's not healthy. Herman let his obsessions control him and he's dead. Don't let your obsessions send you down the same road."

"I don't know anymore, Ryu. I hate her, I love her - I - "

"Sam, you have to be fair to yourself, and to Jun. If you don't love her, you have to tell her, don't trap yourself in a marriage you can't honor."

"But I do love her, Ryu. I - I can't hurt, Jun."

"Then forget the Eagle, Sam. Don't do this to yourself, or to Jun." Ryu told him gently, "Or if you really love the Eagle ... if you can accept hir true nature. Go pursue her."

Sam flashed Ryu an annoyed look, "You're as bad as Herman. She'd sooner geld me."

"Then stop torturing yourself, Sam." Ryu gave him a wry grin, "You can't let yourself be distracted by them. We know the true scope of the war now, so we have to come up with a counter strategy."

"I don't know how."

"We do it together, Sam. You don't have to make out like a dictator and decide everything for us. We're a team, we can figure this out together."

"Thanks big guy." Sam clinked glasses with him.

"Anytime, commander." Ryu drained his glass.

"Where would I be without you guys?"

"Don't know? Looking silly? Better wipe your mouth. You've got a milk mustache."


	6. Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ::...:: = sign language

"Life sucks!"

Jinpei grumbled as he threw his haversack on the sofa from across the room.

It just wasn't fair. He was always left behind when the sun went down and the others wanted to go out for the night. Jun and Mako were probably clubbing, and he guessed that they'd eventually retire to one of Mako's many townhouses when the night wore down. Sam and Ryu were at the bar to drink and talk. He was still underage to hang out with them.

Sometimes being the only kid in the group was way lonely. He was nearly thirteen, and it won't be long before his voice would begin to break. (Jinpei silently hoped that he'd settle into a deep bass like the Gallactor Raven 2.) But the age difference between him and the others would still be trying.

There was still at least another four odd years to go, before he could even be allowed in a bar, and drink in some countries. Hell, the irony was that he could mix just about any drink known, but he wasn't allowed to consume it.

No matter how he looked at it, it was his age, which stuffed him back into a lonely apartment. It was just going to be, yet another night spent alone with no one to talk to. It wasn't like it had not happen before, Sam and Jun never spent the night together at their place.

Jinpei frowned at the thought. Actually, it had been a long time since he had the apartment to himself. It was a *long* time since they were last together.

There was a time when he had complained to his onechan about their relationship. There was a time, when he felt so apart from them and abandoned. But that feeling had gone away. They talked to him about their engagement, and it was cool with him.

His onechan loved him, and there could be no question of that love. Out of uniform, Sam treated him like a younger brother. That wouldn't change when they got married.

{*If* they get married.} Jinpei could feel the heat of anger coloring his cheeks.

Sam was being an idiot for the last few months, ever since they had learnt the secret of the Ravens and Raptors. Not for the first time, Jinpei wondered if the engagement was a mistake.

"Humph! Love sucks, good thing I won't have to worry about icky stuff like that for a few years."

The flash of the caller ID and answering machine finally caught his attention as he walked past it on the way to the kitchen.

"One message, Uncle Kamo, just quarter of an hour ago. Wonder why he called." Jinpei touched the playback key.

~Beep~

_"Hey Jinpei! Pick up the phone, it's me."_

{Sammie? Ha! Not likely, the girl's a pain in the ass.}

_"Come on, Jin. Pick up the phone, you should be home by now."_

{Who says I'm talking to you?} Jinpei snorted as he started to root through the fridge looking for something to eat. {I still haven't got back at you for that pepper in the ice cream stunt.}

_"Hey! Jun Onechan! Get the shrimp to pick up the phone!"_

Jinpei banged his head on one of the refrigerator's shelves, {Ow! That's it, I kill her tomorrow. Nobody, I mean *nobody* calls me 'shrimp'!}

_"Humph!"_

He could almost imagine the petulant pout, which was probably plastered on her face when she snorted.

_"Well, I guess you're not back after all."_

{Ding, ding! And we have a winner! Took you that long to figure it out eh, Einstein?}

_"Mom's out so I'm staying at Uncle Kamo's place tonight. I thought we could get together and watch some movies."_

{Oooo yuck, listen for it, Swallow. What soppy nonsense is she getting this time?}

_"I borrowed some stuff from the film vaults. Seven brides for seven brothers, Gone with the Wind, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Titanic ..."_

Jinpei made a face at the selection. Those were all romance movies. Nice romance movies, but he had watched each of the movies with her at least once, and that was enough. Oh no, he would rather spend the night alon-

_"Oh yes, Mark's staying over with me."_

"Mark?!" He almost dropped carton of milk he had just taken out.

_"Got your attention didn't I, shrimp."_

{#$%&! How does she do that?} Jinpei shoved the milk back into the fridge and made a mad dash for his room.

_"We'll be watching the movies together on Uncle Kamo's *comfy* sofa. Aren't you so glad you missed this call?"_

Jinpei started grabbing a change of clothes, pajamas and toiletries to throw together in his haversack.

_"So if you're not interested ... Bye!"_

~Beep~

"No way, am I going to let you spend a night alone, watching romance movies with Mark!" Jinpei yelled back at the uncaring answering machine as he stuffed his gear into the bag.

Just as he was about to leave his room, Jinpei had pause and question why he was doing this to himself. He considered Sammie Pandora a little harpy, compared to ... oh Julia the Senator's daughter.

Now Julia was a sweet, gentle girl, who he had really wished he could have gotten to know better. While Sammie ... that girl was a little minx! So why was he rushing out like some bull in heat, ready to lock horns with a rival?

"Love sucks! I thought I wasn't suppose to start on this stuff until puberty?"

He quickly scribbled a note to his sister incase she came back early and dashed out the door.

*~*~*~*~*

It was a half-hour ride to the Chief Engineer's home. Jinpei had to be thankful that he didn't have to depend on public transport or it would be longer. An odd flash back occurred to him as he changed gears and overtook a truck in the center lane. Jason Washio had been jealous as all get out, when Dr. Nambu got Jinpei a special road license and gave him the bike.

Despite his pleas and frequent whining, Jason's dad refused to give him one as well. The boy had been hugely jealous, since Sammie would frequently asked Jinpei for a lift to run errands, just so she could ride pillion. On later reflection, Jinpei had to admit that he did like it, when Sammie would hug him around the waist as they roared down the road.

Dr. Pandora was not happy to see her little girl on a motorcycle, but she trusted Jinpei to ride safely and not endanger her only daughter. Jinpei also knew, from the wistful look that flashed in her eyes whenever Sammie begged permission, that the gorgeous doctor secretly wished she had the nerve to ride a motorcycle like Jun.

{Yup, bikes are a real chick magnet.}

Jinpei winced involuntarily at the careless thought. His sister had hit him upside the head for such sexist comments before.

As he navigated the turn, Jinpei's thoughts ran back to why he was rushing over to the Chief Engineer's home. His jealousy was unfounded, Mark had never been his rival. In truth, he knew Sammie treated Mark like a younger brother. They all did.

The urge to protect, and keep him safe. Mark seemed to naturally bring that out in the people he met. And it wasn't as if he was a wimp, or a weakling. Where Jason was an aggressive and physical boy, Mark was quiet, preferring to read or paint. They were brothers, but almost polar in nature. It had never came between them though, Jason was fiercely protective of his younger brother.

Jason. It was no secret that the boy wanted Jinpei's place in the Kagaku Ninjatai. It was yet another one of those sore issues with his father.

Jinpei found out the hard way, that Kentaro Washio had dissuaded his son from asking Nambu for a place in the Kagaku Ninjatai project because of his age. It was therefore no surprise that the kid had been shocked, then angered, when Jinpei first appeared as G4.

If Sammie and the bike was a sore point between him and Jason, the Kagaku Ninjatai project was the last straw. It seemed fated that the two would never become friends.

Jinpei might have tried to make friends, but Jason had to make a snide comment at Jinpei having been abandoned with no knowledge of his bloodline, while Jason's own family was prestigious in the ISO and his parents the ISO's most trust worthy agents.

Mark stepped in to break up the fight, by throwing the two startled older boys apart. There wasn't even a need for words. It took only a withering look from the younger Washio to make them ashamed of their exchange. Jason apologized to Jinpei for that uncaring remark, but they both knew that it was too late.

It was a rivalry to the death. A rivalry that made Jinpei all the more concerned about his position, and pushed him to train and excel as G4.

Jason was almost as good as Jinpei. But Jinpei had a slight edge over the younger boy due to his access to earlier training. Jason was essentially playing catch up, and no matter how good he was, that slight edge was all Jinpei needed to hold his lead.

Until performance drugs entered the picture.

Jinpei shuddered inwardly. He didn't know ... couldn't believe Jason thought the Kagaku Ninjatai project so important to him, that he would resort to underhand means to beat him.

In the end it killed him. His parents had been devastated ... Mark had retreated into catatonic shock ... Jinpei didn't know how to deal with it. He felt like it was his fault. If he hadn't been around, Jason would surely have been made G4.

When he first started the program, he wasn't even that interested in it. He had only joined because Jun wanted in on the project. When it really got going, he felt challenged to pull his own weight and show Hakase that he was a force to be reckoned with.

And then there was that glow of joy within him, whenever Hakase looked at him with pride in his eyes. He loved that feeling, knowing that he had earned it through his own actions. That sense of approval and pride in him that made him forget that he was ever abandoned.

And Jason died striving for the role of G4.

With a start, Jinpei realized that he had reached his destination. He cursed himself for a fool, he was lucky he hadn't met with an accident with all the day dreaming he did on the ride over.

Kamo opened the door at his knock. Jinpei had to hide his grin at the sight. The poor man looked all tuckered out.

"They're in there." Kamo waved vaguely in the appropriate direction after he took Jinpei's jacket.

He frowned as he approached the living room. The noise coming from the entertainment center didn't ring a bell to any of the movies Sammie had mentioned in her phone message. In fact the 'zings' and 'humms' sounded like a space battle. When he reached the doorway, his jaw dropped in shock as he stared at the wide screen TV.

"Hey Jin! 'sabout time yer made it!" Sammie turned to look at him impishly.

"That isn't-"

"Hee hee, you do love me don't you? Else you wouldn't have come running to watch *that* particular selection with me."

Mark was also grinning at the spluttering boy as he waved the DVD cover at him. Sammie lied to Jinpei, they were watching the classic Star Wars trilogy.

"Why you-?"

"Make yourself comfortable Swallow, and shut up."

Jinpei hesitated at her address. An awkward silence fell among them as he looked at Mark.

When Jason died, Mark had retreated into a catatonic state. Though his mother had taken him away from Nambu and the ISO, Sammie and Jinpei had made it a point to visit him at his mother's estate. Katherine Washio did not blame Jinpei for her son's death, but he could tell that his presence pained her.

Eventually, Jinpei stopped visiting and just dropped Sammie off for an hour, while he rode elsewhere. It was weeks before Mark finally emerged from his shell, and even then he had refused to ever talk again.

Mark flashed him a wry smile and waved him over. Relief washed over him, he hadn't really talked nor had any contact with Mark since Jason's death, but at least it looked like the younger boy didn't blame him for his brother's death.

Sammie petted the seat beside her, and gave Jinpei an embarrassed smile. The awkward moment was soon forgotten as Mark passed him the bowl of popcorn and they settled down to watch the old classic.

"Hey, is this the original, or the re-mastered series."

"Which one? The first re-master or second."

That started an old argument between Sammie and Jinpei over original movies vs. touched up and re-mastered movies. Mark just sat by quietly watching the animated argument.

Then Sammie stopped speaking and started to move her hands. At this point, Mark's eyes lit up and he almost hesitatingly responded with his own hands. Jinpei picked up the thread with a grin.

Whatever barriers Mark had erected around himself started to crumble as their silent argument went on. The movie was all but forgotten as they talked in the silent language of movements and facial expressions.

Jinpei knew from Mark's expression that he was touched by their efforts. Their movements weren't as smooth or fluid as his own, but he did appreciate their efforts in learning the sign language he had retreated into after Jason's death.

Deep down, Jinpei knew that Sammie was glowing in her sense of victory. He knew she cared for Mark and was trying her best to draw him out of his shell again. For now, it looked like she was succeeding.

In the back of his mind, Jinpei wondered how good a fighter Mark was. He wasn't a 'mother's boy' or a wimp by far. When Mark had broken up the fight between him and his brother, it showed skill. With the Red Impulse Captain for a father and the Colonel of the Starlets for a mother, Jinpei did not doubt that their youngest son had also been taught how to fight and defend himself. It just wasn't as important to Mark, as it was to his brother.

There was a lot to talk about. Mark hadn't been aware of all the changes or developments of the ISO since his mother took him away. Jinpei at first felt awkward about telling him about the Kagaku Ninjatai, but Mark was genuinely interested.

As the night progressed, the conversation grew easier but there still remained that impasse. Mark picked up on Jinpei's distress from the slight agitation in his movements.

::Jinpei, it is long over. I hold no blame over you for my brother's death.:: Mark locked eyes with the older boy.

"Mark?"

::Father and mother did not want either of us in the Kagaku Ninjatai project. It would not have mattered if you were G4 or not. Jason would never have been allowed to be G4, he refused to accept our parent's decision. You were an easy target.::

"I'm sorry he died."

::I am too.::

They fell silent again.

::So how is your new Hawk fitting in?::

As Jinpei responded in their silent conversation, he could feel a great load slipping off his shoulders because of Mark's words. The agitated jerkiness also lifted from his movements and Mark smiled encouragingly as he talked. Soon, it was as if they had picked up their friendship from where they had last left off.

Sammie didn't even bother to hide the smirk on her lips.

{Manipulative bitch.}

The thought flashed through Jinpei's mind as he caught her expression from the corner of his eye. Mark rolled his eyes slightly, and Jinpei had to bite his tongue to hold back the laughter. Mark knew what she was trying to do too.

*~*~*~*~*

At about 2:00 a.m. Kamo took a peek into his living room. From what he could hear, the movie had stopped playing, and the living room had been quiet for a long time. Dismay flooded him when he realized that the kids were still awake. But relief also filled his heart as he watched them 'talk' in sign language.

Kamo warred within himself about interrupting them and tucking them in for the night, or letting them talk when Mark was starting to emerge from his shell. The decision was thankfully made for him, when Sammie yawned and the other two couldn't stop their mimic of her sleepiness.

"Children, it's late. Please, you should be in bed." Kamo entered the room and started to pull the bedrolls from the corner.

At their expressions of protest, Kamo groaned his plea. "Mark, please? Your mother especially, will have a fit if she saw you now. I can't spare the broken teeth, and I don't think Nambu Hakase will enjoy it, if she really broke his jaw this time."

Sammie and Jinpei laughed, while Mark grinned at his statement. Mark's mother *was* rather famous in the ISO for that right hook.

They grabbed the bedrolls, and Kamo helped them to spread them on the floor of the living room. He stayed long enough to tuck them in for the night, before he switched off the lights.


	7. Intimate Relations

Jun needed the time out. The night club, the loud music, and the flashing lights. It was so long since she had fun. It didn't matter anymore that Sam wasn't there. No, Mako was dancing with her and Jun didn't even miss him.

They were buzzed and their senses were intoxicated. They were having fun. They closed the club, or rather the club threw them out so they could close.

They had turned their feet down the road towards the beach, and for a while, the roll and crash of the waves were the only sounds surrounding them.

"So ... do you want to talk about it, Princess?"

"About what?"

"Sam ... you ... ?"

"Herman?"

"Yeah, Herman too. Not like we'll ever want to bring up talk like this with the guys, right? So, talk to me. What's going on between you and Sam?"

"I thought you wanted to talk about the missions."

"I can look up details in the mission logs and debriefing reports. I was just pumping the big guy for stuff I thought wouldn't get written down."

"Why aren't you pumping me then?"

"What cher think I'm doin' now? We're not gonna talk about Sam, or Herm, the same way as we talk about them at debriefing? So stop stalling."

"I'm tired, Mako."

"Hey, no fair, we agreed-"

"No, I mean, I'm tired of it all. Sam's been different since the scarring." Jun sighed, as she kicked at the surf.

"Now that Ryu's told me about it, I'm beginning to understand. It was better before wasn't it?"

"Much better. I don't have the strength to hold him up anymore. I'm tired of reminding him that he's good."

"Tired, or fed up with his incompetence."

"Hey!"

"Jun, we're human. Sam's got his limitations, and one of those limitations is the lack of confidence, and the loss of his leadership ability."

"That's not true!"

"Do you honestly believe that? He tries his best Jun, but Sam's not a leader. Not anymore."

"He doesn't need your antagonism, he needs our support."

"He's got it. But not in the way we're giving it to him now." Mako pointed her finger at the slim girl, "We keep looking to him for decisions when he has no idea what to do. We keep looking up to him, expecting him to tell us what to do. He can't deal with that kind of responsibility anymore."

"You're right, Mako. We haven't really been fair with Sam, have we?"

"He's not a leader, Jun. But he is a good team player. We just need to nudge him in the right direction, just like the Ravens do with Katse."

"Look at the Gallactors. To the rest of the world Berg Katse is the mastermind of the terror which surrounds us, but we know better. It's the Ravens who lead, they just know more about pushing the credit to Katse. We have to do the same for Sam, voice the choices, and discuss it with him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Jun fell silent.

"Princess?"

"Drat, you had to mention the Ravens didn't you?" She cursed.

"What? Reminded you of too many wet dreams?"

"They're not human."

"Mutants maybe, but they sure felt human." Mako grinned.

Jun's face flushed bright red. "Oooh, you had to bring them up didn't you?"

"You can't tell me you didn't *enjoy* it, when we were accidentally thrown together on that mission.

"Mako!"

"It was a *man* pressing against me, Jun. A *hunk* of a man." Mako hugged herself and shivered.

Jun felt as if her roots were on fire. On that mission in question, the Gallactor base had collapsed around them, and the four had found themselves in a rather compromising position, of being buried in close quarters under a ton of rubble.

There was hardly any avenue of movement without some form of body contact between them. While they waited to be rescued, they had come to mutually agree on a position, which would grant them the least discomfort.

"Don't you think they showed some remarkable restraint?" Mako grinned at her slyly, "To have us practically on their laps, and not react?"

"We didn't do anything!"

"Haven't you ever wished we had?"

"And Hakase would ground us for *life*, if we did!"

"Only if we let him find out." Mako ran her hand down Jun's back, "Oooo, Raven - harder - Raven - Please."

"Mako! It'll never happen!"

Darker-haired girl laughed, "One can dream, Princess. One can dream."

"But how could you? I mean -"

"You think I'm being too candid, Princess? To even have such thoughts, so soon after Herman's death? So soon after I was raped."

"No - I-"

"I was hurt." Mako told her gravely, "The Ravens were the ones who saved me Jun. They were different. They were - gentle when they handled me." Mako went red, "I know what I was like after - after that mission. But when we were with them - When we were trapped together - I didn't even consider - I - I didn't even dwell on their closeness, or even my own earlier feelings of ..."

"I - I thought Herman loved me. I thought I loved him. Yet I feel like I know less about him than I do about the Ravens."

Jun didn't press her over the change of subject.

"He kept so much from me, while I always knew where we stood with the Ravens. The Ravens never tried to lie to us."

"If they didn't lie to us, than why did they stay trapped with us?" Jun asked, "We know of Raven 1's powers, he should have been able to moved the earth and dig us out instead of waiting for their forces to rescue us."

"Bothered you too didn't it?" Mako looked thoughtful, "I think it was Raven 2's fault."

"What? He felt so comfortable having you pressed up against him, that he asked his brother not to free us?" Jun grinned wickedly.

"Hey, that's not what I meant." Mako reached down to scoop seawater in her hands, and threw it at Jun.

That started a chase and water fight, which only ended when they fell into the shallow waters and got totally drenched.

"Seriously now." Mako choked back a laugh as she wiped the wet sand from her face, "Raven 2 didn't want Raven 1 to act. But I think it's for other reasons. He looked worried about something else."

"Raven 2 worries too much for his brother. He didn't even notice us on the last mission."

"Something was bothering Raven 1 on the last mission." Jun stood up and pulled Mako to her feet as well, "He was like frost with us."

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Hopeless aren't we?" Mako began to giggle, "We came out here to talk about Sam and Herman, and end up mooning over our enemies."

"No more than Sam, or Herman mooning over the Raptors." Jun snorted, "If Sam's like your Her- I - I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It is the truth isn't it." Mako sighed, "He went chasing after a dream. And refused to see the reality before him. Getz was always a showman. Even on the day he finally told me that he was the Hawk."

"Oh, no simple 'sit your fiancé down, and tell her quietly' for my guy. No, he just told me he had a surprise for me, and transformed in my bedroom."

"Oh god, Dad-Hakase tore chunks out of him for breaking oath." Jun stared at her, "Not that Herman cared. In one ear, and out the other. What did happen that night?"

"Not to be repeated." Mako held out her little pinky.

Jun encircled her own around the proffered finger. Mako whispered into her ear.

"He showed you how to get it off? ... You didn't? ... Oh my god, no wonder he didn't care."

*~*~*~*~*

"Hmmmm, I wonder what the boys are up to?" Jun frowned as she sat toweling her hair dry on Mako's sofa, "I called Jinpei to let him know I won't be back tonight, and only got the answering machine."

"You were going to wake him up?"

"He usually waits up to make sure I get in safely. And even if he was asleep ... Hey, it's better than having him wake up the next morning, and still find me not back."

"They're big boys. They can take care of themselves." Mako didn't look around as she poked the logs in the fireplace to get a nice blaze started.

"I know, but Jinpei can't really participate in the same night activities as Ryu and Sam. If we know Ryu, he probably grabbed Sam out for a drink."

"Jinpei's responsible, he's proven himself enough times. Stop worrying about the kid, he's more than earned our trust."

"I know. It's just - it can be difficult getting out of the habit of always being the big sister."

"You mean den mother, don't you." Mako cackled, as she pulled her towel around her face like a shawl. Jun threw a cushion at her.

"It's been way too long since I had a slumber party." Mako laughed as she flicked the cushion away before it reached her.

"For an impromptu slumber party, you are well prepared."

"I'm a big kid, so sue me. I can afford it." Mako threw a bag of marshmallows at her.

Jun grinned at her as she adjusted her robe and opened the bag of marshmallows. They had adjourned to one of Mako's many town apartments from the beach. On mutual agreement, they were going to take full advantage of 'Ladies' Night' and talk through the night.

"How mad were you when he first told you?" Jun asked popping a marshmallow in her mouth.

"You mean, Herm? Just furious." Mako sighed as she lounged on the rug in front of the fire, her hand reached for, and gripped the neck of the bottle of champagne she had cooling in the ice bucket while they showered. "Ahh, this feels like it's ready."

"I didn't want to believe him. It explained so much, but it added an element I didn't want in my life. 'Uncertainty.' I didn't want to deal with that. I was just settling into a new course, having scraped my life together. I finally felt secure, and stable with an existence that wasn't going to kill me, and which was actually going to be good for me. And he flung his secret into my life like a monkey wrench in the works."

"Suddenly I had to live with his danger, with not knowing if he'd live or die during the next mission. Suddenly, my life wasn't in my control anymore, and every crisis the war drew the world into was going to impact on my life, no matter how far away the battle was to where I lived. I hated it."

"What made you take him back?" Jun accepted the glass of champagne.

"I didn't want to let him go. I liked what was happening between us and I just didn't want to be apart from him." Mako was thoughtful, "Pity it was all one sided."

"Mako-"

"He didn't feel the same way, otherwise he wouldn't have gone on that fools' errand."

"Mako, what did happen that day? When you exposed the traitor, I mean."

"I chased him, and like a bloody school girl, I let him get the drop on me. But someone else stopped him."

"Who?"

"It can't be on the records, Jun. That's why I wouldn't say earlier, I owe them that much." Mako told her gravely, "It was the Lady Condor. She was in the helicopter you saw leaving."

"What? But why would she kill her own agent? We thought you caught up with him before his pickup."

"No, he thought it was his pickup as well. Only when it drew alongside, that impostor found himself staring down her gun barrel."

"I wanted to hate her, I really did." Mako went on, "I thought she was just being cruel, by saving me and denying me a chance for vengeance. He died trying to see her. But it wasn't Condor's fault. Her eyes told me something else. She wouldn't have killed him. I could see that."

"From what I could piece together - it was just blind luck that Herman was on BC Island, when the Gallactors were cracking down on the Religious Underground. The Gallactors could have kept him alive, but the impostor was just a little too zealous in twisting out the secrets." Mako's eyes were distant, "The agent's death wasn't sanctioned. She took a risk coming for him. I was unarmed, so I couldn't take credit for the killing. But if word got back that she killed one of their agents, she'd probably get into trouble. That's why I never changed my story that it was an accident."

Mako lifted her half-filled champagne glass.

"Come on, a toast. To the misbegotten man in our lives."

It was a deliberate change of subject, but Jun didn't press the issue.

"You still want to drink?" Jun asked as she watched Mako reach for the second bottle.

"It's only 3 a.m. It's still early."

Jun stifled a laugh, "That's what I said to Sam, once. The man doesn't have as much stamina as I thought."

"Aahhhh? This sounds interesting. When did that happen?" Mako popped the cork.

Jun's face went bright red. "Oh dear lord, why am I suddenly so indiscreet."

"Probably the booze." Mako topped up her champagne glass. "You've got me considering taking out my whole stock of liquor. Come on, come on, share some smut with me, girlfriend."

"Drat." Jun downed the champagne in one gulp, "I don't suppose you'll forget it?"

"Hell no, I'm dying to hear about the prowess of our great Falcon." Mako filled her glass again before leaning forward on her elbows, "I told you about Herman and me."

"Well ..." Jun held out her pinky.

"Won't leave the four walls, Princess." Mako gripped it with her own.

"It had been some time - "

Jun started whispering in her ear.

"Oooo kinky ... You didn't? ... He did??!!" Mako's hand flew to cover her mouth, "I'm *proud* of you girl!!"

*~*~*~*~*

Mako had started smoking.

Jun made no comment as she took a long drag from the cigarette and finished it. She knew that Mako didn't smoke very often, it would be detrimental to her health and as a member of the Kagaku Ninjatai, they couldn't afford to have any weaknesses. She only smoked when she was stressed, or upset.

The dark-haired woman lit another cigarette before she was ready to speak.

"Ladies' night, so we should take this time to drag out all the sordid details, shouldn't we?" Mako asked as she blew a stream of smoke, "I've already dodged you twice."

"Mako, you don't nee-"

"Yes, I need to. I need to talk about it with someone who will understand it from my perspective." Mako finished the last of her champagne before continuing, "Lord knows I won't ever say anything to Sam, Ryu, or even Nambu. It'll never happen to them." 

Mako deliberately placed the glass down before she started to talk. Jun discretely filled the glass again.

"How much do you know about me, Jun?"

"What's that-?"

"When you guys first met me, you didn't approve of Herman's choice did you?"

"That was a long time ago, Mako." Jun flushed at the memory, the team had been nearly down right antagonistic. "It was different."

"You guys thought I was trash."

"You're not-!"

"'Was' Jun. Ain't denying it. The image I built around myself was hell bent on self-destruction." Mako silenced her with a look, "I drank, I smoked, I did drugs, I arranged orgies. Talk about a stereotypical 'Bad' girl."

"What changed?"

"My father died. I wasn't just trash anymore I was rich trash. And if I didn't take control of it, I was going to lose everything. The car, the racing circuit, everything! I couldn't. The race was more important to me. I could give up everything else, but I couldn't lose the car."

"Of all the people around me, I kept only my ground crew close. The others were opportunists riding high on my money. It was my staff who introduced me to Herman during my climb out of the gutter."

Jun only nodded, trying not to let her puzzlement show and letting Mako talk while she seemed so inclined.

"So what's that got to do with my first recon?"

Jun waited expectantly. When she had returned, Mako refused to say anything about that mission. From the agent who returned with her though, it was clear that she had been raped and savaged during her captivity before the Ravens rescued her.

It was a tensed period, as this was also early in Mako's acceptance into the team. Her first solo reconnaissance mission and a mission, which had failed miserably. The team had been worried sick about her for the four days that she had disappeared behind enemy lines.

"I've been involved in orgies before, Jun. I was a 'baaaaddddd' girl. Even arranged orgies with gang bangs, just 'because'. So it's supposed to be okay with me, right? Multiple partners - tough girl like me."

"I know that we're at high risk for - rape. I remembered what we were told about it. I know we're supposed separate ourselves from it, think of it as no different to any other form of torture or degradation, block it out. But - when it's - actually ... "

Mako's voice had sunk to a whisper, and her hands were beginning to shake. Jun lit another cigarette for her and replaced the almost finished one from between her fingers.

"They were waiting for me. The contact wasn't where I expected him to be and I walked into a trap. When they first revived me, they showed me this bottle of pennies. They'd drop one in for - for each turn. Gun barrels or - other objects didn't count. There was already a pile of coins in the bottle. Their chief promised to send the bottle back to you. Payment for my - services."

"Mako - it's over. You don-"

"I've got to tell someone." Mako reached for and downed the refilled glass of champagne before speaking again, "if only to purge the memory."

"They had my bracelet and clothes. I couldn't go bird style. There were so many of them - pressing so close - I couldn't fight them - couldn't - They didn't even bother to tie me down, - they just took turns - holding ... "

"I couldn't even tell how many there were - they wouldn't stop - they were like - like sharks, circling - tearing ... Whenever I passed out, they'd just revive me and start again. I was black and blue all over, I was sure they busted some ribs. I was so sore." Mako shivered, "I - wanted to die, Jun. I wished - that I had even a few - minutes alone, so that I could kill myself."

Jun reached out and held her hand firmly. She hadn't spoken of her ordeal before now.

"I don't know how long they - rutted me. I was only semi-conscious of my rescue." Mako told her, "One moment, they - there were - in me. The next, I was looking up at their blue eyes."

"The Ravens - They were so gentle. They cleaned me up and wrapped up my ribs. I wasn't even aware that my arm was dislocated, until Raven 1 reset it for me. My eyes may have been playing tricks on me then, but I thought his hands were actually glowing. It was - as if he was wiping away the pain."

"They watched over me for two days before they'd let me attempt to leave. And they apologized. They kept telling me that it should never have happened, and that it will never happen again."

"When it was time for me to go, they led me to the contact I was suppose to meet before I was way laid." Mako thought back, "We made tracks for the border together."

"Did - did you know that the agent was mad at me? He said that it was my fault his cover was blown. 'You can't hide secrets from Raven 2,' he said. The Gallactors have no need for standard interrogation methods because of him. They don't need torture to pick out your secrets. Raven 2 can get everything he needs from you, just by looking at you. You don't even feel the intrusion."

"That's how the Ravens found out about his operations. They closed in on him within minutes of my rescue. Do - do you know what the agent - what he said to me, when - when he realized I was raped?"

Jun shook her head though she could guess.

"Get over it. What did you expect? You were a spy in enemy territory, that squad didn't have to take you alive. You're alive because they wasted their time." Mako started to laugh thinly, "And he was right. That rat bastard ordered his men to rape me, to 'soften me up' for interrogation, and it was just a waste of time!"

"The Ravens don't need torture to tease out our secrets. So the rape, the humiliation - it was all a waste of time!"

Jun drew her legs closer to her body, "Mako, it - it's over. You - you could have talked-"

"I was not going to talk to *any* of those shrinks! If Nambu-"

"It can help."

"Ha! What can they-?"

"Though you're right," Jun continued as if Mako hadn't spoken, "I - I'd rather die than experience it again."

"Wha-? Y- you were raped on-?"

"Not on a mission. It - happened very early on."

Mako looked away, her face was flushed with embarrassment. Jun was contented to lapse into silence for a while as she hugged her knees.

A sudden violent series of explosive pops of the popcorn popper startled them. They looked at each other sheepishly, and started to laugh. Mako reached over to open the popcorn popper and poured its contents into a bowl, while Jun liberally poured melted butter over the fluffy, golden yellow clumps.

"What? Another bottle?" Jun stared at Mako in disbelief as she rolled on the carpet towards the wine rack, and reached for a bottle of red wine.

Mako grinned at her wickedly, "It's still early, Sam."

"Oh you!" Jun playfully whacked her with a pillow. Mako easily countered with a swipe of her own.

In seconds, white feathers adorned the air with a mixture of sticky popcorn.


	8. Moving On

It was nostalgia hour on the radio. Someone had taken an old song by a 'Toni Braxton' of the late 90's and was re-releasing it.

> _*I heard he sang a lullaby_
> 
> _*I heard he sang it from his heart_
> 
> _*When I found out thought I would die_
> 
> _*Because that lullaby was mine_
> 
> _*I heard he sealed it with a kiss_
> 
> _*He gently kissed her cherry lips_
> 
> _*I found that so hard to believe_
> 
> _*Because his kiss belonged to me_

Mako reached over to switch the radio off, but Jun stopped her.

> _*How could an angel break my heart_
> 
> _*Why didn't he catch my falling star_
> 
> _*I wish I didn't wish so hard_
> 
> _*Maybe I wished our love apart_
> 
> _*How could an angel break my heart_

Jun just shook her head as she unconsciously started to stroke the back of her right hand.

> _*I heard her face was white as rain_
> 
> _*Soft as a rose that blooms in May_
> 
> _*He keeps her picture in a frame_
> 
> _*And when he sleeps he calls her name_

Mako reached out to firmly stop Jun from rubbing her hand.

> _*I wonder if she makes him smile_
> 
> _*The way he used to smile at me_
> 
> _*I hope she doesn't make him laugh_
> 
> _*Because his laugh belongs to me_

Mako didn't react when Jun reached for her cigarettes. She knew Jun was just curious at how a lung full of tobacco could help her deal with stress.

> _*How could an angel break my heart_
> 
> _*Why didn't he catch my falling star_
> 
> _*I wish I didn't wish so hard_
> 
> _*Maybe I wish our love apart_
> 
> _*How could an angel break my heart_

The first puff, however, sent Jun gagging and coughing and Mako relieved her of the cigarette, before she accidentally stubbed it out on the lush carpet.

> _*Oh my soul is dying, it's crying_
> 
> _*I'm trying to understand_
> 
> _*Please help me_

"These things aren't good for you, Jun."

"Why ~ cough ~ do you ~ cough ~ cough ~ smoke then?"

> _*How could an angel break my heart_
> 
> _*Why didn't he catch my falling star_

"Started it just to get a reaction out of my dad. Hey it wasn't all *that* long ago when I drank like a fish, chewed tobacco, did drugs ... I was trying to kill myself for a good several months. Not that he ever paid any attention to me."

Mako took a long drag on the cigarette Jun had abandoned. Silence fell between them again.

> _*I wish I didn't wish so hard_
> 
> _*Maybe I wished our love apart_
> 
> _*How could an angel break my heart_

Jun started to talk before the music died away.

"What do I know about psychologists? You want to know don't you?"

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to, Jun." Mako said cautiously, "The song reminds you of Sam, doesn't it?"

"I was orphaned - I guess I was ... nine - ten years old?" Jun ignored Mako's attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere, "I don't remember my father. I don't even remember very much about my mother, except that I woke up one morning and she was dead. The police and social workers took me away rather quickly and I never really found out what had happened."

"I was confused. I tried to run away, I kept thinking they were wrong to take me away from mother. I didn't understand."

"I finally succeeded." Jun looked down, "But ... I didn't get too far before I got picked up. He was nice to me, offered to help me and took me to his apartment. I didn't know - he was a pimp. Some of his clients wanted their girls young. He showed me what I had to do that night."

"I was, I guess, thirteen before, I managed to escape. None of the other girls managed to escape. He whipped me the first time I tried to run, but that didn't stop me. I just spent more time planning and I got away on the second try."

"I got as far away as the next city. I wasn't even thinking of looking for my mother then. I just wanted to find a place to crash until I could figure out what to do next. That's when I ran into a gang of boys."

"Jun, we don't have to dig up-"

"They took me to a cemetery. They were going to kill me when they were done. Yeah, they talked about it in front of me. They debated about using the mausoleum or doing it in the open. If they had done me in the mausoleum, they probably wouldn't have been caught. They chose the graveyard, so they could throw me into a nearby plot when they were done."

"But there was some other people visiting the cemetery that night. And they chose the wrong gravestone to do me on."

"Who visits the cemetery at night?

"Kentaro Washio."

"The Red Impulse Captain?"

"And his wife, Dr. Nambu was also with them. It was his first son's gravestone. Captain Washio nearly killed those boys." Jun nodded, "They were going to leave me at the orphanage, but Mrs. Washio objected. She said the orphanage wasn't equipped to help me recover from the ordeal. So Dadd - Hakase offered me a home."

"And that's how you came to stay with Dr. Nambu."

"Eventually, yes. I still had to stay over in the orphanage for a few weeks until the paper work was completed. But he did see me every day. I guess I was lucky he decided to continue with the adoption when I picked up Jinpei."

"That's where you met?"

"I - yes. I saw something of myself in that scrawny little kid. He hated the place, I notice that he kept trying to run away. I didn't want him to go through what I did, so I made friends with him and I asked Dadd - Hakase to take both of us."

"That delayed things and I thought at first that Dadd- Daddy would change his mind. The authorities were giving him a hard time since he was a bachelor. They were afraid that he'd abuse me. And they weren't sure he'd be serious about taking care of Jinpei either."

"It really was the opposite. Daddy gave us the best there was available and he gave us his time. After my experience, he probably kept me too sheltered. He brought in private tutors for me for everything."

"The first training he lined up for me was how to fight. I guess he thought that if I learned how to defend myself, I would feel better about - what had happened. It was misguided I suppose, but Hakase did hire the best. My Sensei advised Hakase and acted as a councilor for me, until he could arranged for a child psychologist coming to see me once a week, to make sure I was getting over the rape and my time as a prostitute."

"I - oh shit, and here I've been calling you 'Princess' because I thought you were always a rich heiress."

"If I were a rich heiress, would I be running a snack bar?"

"Why not? I know Dr. Nambu adopted you. And he's quite well to do, you don't need to work." Mako shrugged, "Look, I'm a wealthy heiress in my own right, but I don't look the part either. You really look like a princess fraternizing with the commoners. And I do mean it in the nicest way."

"Daddy just tried his best to undo my formative years that's all." Jun smiled, "I hardly think of those days anymore."

They fell silent again, softly munching the popcorn until Jun spoke.

"Daddy was trying his best, but sometimes - he was just so awkward, he didn't know how to love me. At one time, I thought I wasn't good enough for him and that he wouldn't love me if I wasn't the best. So I pushed myself in my studies, athletics, everything."

"But then, I finally saw the truth. At a gymnastic meet, I was doing well on the floor exercises. And I saw him, he was pointing me out to the Washios. He was proud of me, he was always proud of me. Then I finally understood. He was afraid of even touching me, because he thought I'd take it the wrong way." Jun smiled at the memory of the awkwardness, "If I wanted a hug, I'd have to take the initiative. I understood."

"He's still very protective of you."

"I know." A warm smile touched her lips.

"Hakase doesn't seem to like it when I'm with you."

"He can be an old fuddy duddy when he wants to be. Did you know he was even afraid to talk to me about the 'birds and the bees'?"

"Huh?"

"It had to do with reversing the operation my pimp had done to me, to make sure I didn't get pregnant." Jun started to laugh. "I mean, I was a child prostitute for nearly three years; I've been gang raped more times than I care to remember; I talked to a child psychologist for years about that time; and he was afraid to talk to me about meeting a boy, marrying, and having babies?"

"No, he's that conservative?"

"Believe it. He was so embarrassed that he eventually asked Colonel Washio to help him talk to me." Jun grinned, "In fact, I think he even harbored a fear that I'd grow up as a queer."

"What?"

"I didn't have any boyfriends. Most of the friends I made were girls."

"And did you ever have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?"

"Not before Sam." Jun looked at Mako, "Did you?"

"Herm-"

"No, I mean did you ever ... experiment, with another girl?"

Mako hesitated for a moment, "Once. I had a girlfriend once. She was experienced. Broke my heart when she left me." Mako laughed, "After that, I had a string of guys, till I met Herman. It was - different, and fun while it lasted, but I preferred ... Oh that old coot! He thought I was trying to get into *your* pants?"

Jun went bright red, "Well, you haven't been dating-"

"Yeah right! I just lost my fiancé, I was gang raped by I don't know how many creeps, and he thought I'd go diving into another relationship?"

"You hated men."

"I just avoided them. Once is enough Jun, so you tell that old codger he can breathe that sigh of relief. I'm still straight, so assure him I'm not working on corrupting his little angel."

"Maaakkkoooo, I know you. We've shared our day dreams about you know who. But do you think I'd dare tell Daddy about that?"

"Only if you wanted to be grounded until you're old and gray." Mako laughed, "How did you break the ice? What made you start with Sam?"

"Can't you guess? Daddy had Chief Anderson over for a meeting and Sam had come along."

"And that was it?"

"Pretty much, yeah. He was the first boy I really started going out with." Jun laughed at the memory, "Daddy was mad at first. Especially since Sam was in the Kagaku Ninjatai project."

"Of course it was Daddy's and Chief Anderson's intention all along that we met. I had it bad, I even managed to talk Daddy into including me in the project."

"You were in this, just for Sam?"

"At first." Jun blushed, "I knew about the project, and I pestered him for weeks. He was trying to find five kids for the team. He had Sam, Ryu and Herman pegged, but he still hadn't found the other two."

"He didn't want me on the team with Sam. You know his age-old tirade about romance not mixing with the group dynamics. But he was fed up with my pestering, so he gave Jinpei and me a chance. He thought we'd withdraw once it got too tough. But he was wrong."

"And he let you continue?" Mako asked shocked, "I don't see Nambu as the sort to just ... let it go?"

"No he wasn't. Though he did make it clear to us that he wouldn't tolerate our being all kissy-kissy during missions." Jun admitted, "I'd like to think we succeeded. It's at a professional level during missions, but off duty - that's our time. The team means a lot to me, Mako. More than anything in the world, even Sam."

"As for my first time with Sam? I was scared, I kept remembering being forced by those other men. I didn't know how it was to be touched with - love. I never told him about - my earlier years. I lied to him about being a virgin, and told him that my hymen was already torn due to exercise. And he believed me, so he did go slow and gentle. And it was good."

"I don't know when I'll feel ready again. I know ... I still don't want anyone touching me." Mako admitted, "Back then, I didn't even feel secure around the guys."

"And now?" Jun asked her gently, "After that mission, you were riding quite hard on Sam."

"Lord, I was lashing out at him." Mako sighed, "He was just a convenient target. I hated him, I hated everyone and I didn't have anyone to talk to." Mako nursed the glass of wine to her lips. She threw a sidelong glance at Jun, "We weren't exactly close at that time."

"No we weren't." Jun admitted, "To tell you the truth, Mako. You just intimated me."

"Get out of here. You're the better combat artist."

"No really, you were everything I wasn't. You were strong, confident in your own abilities, secure of your own sexuality. When I saw what happened to you, I was scared. I'm sorry I didn't know how to reach out to you then."

"Thanks Princess. And you really are priceless. I envied you." Mako laughed, "You were always happy, full of life and joy. You were an orphan, but you still had people who loved you."

"But you had-"

"I didn't get into racing because I liked it, well not at first. Father was a billionaire, but he hardly paid any attention to me. His one interest was racing, so since trying to kill myself didn't get his attention. I thought I could get it by joining the circuit. But he never notice."

"In the end, I came to enjoy the thrill of the race, so I continued to race for my own enjoyment. We hardly spoke, I never even knew about his illness. I had to learn about my father's death through a lawyer."

"I'm sorry, Mako."

"What for? For having a lousy father?" Mako sighed as she poured out the last of the wine.

They lapsed into silence for a while.

"Hakase was worried about you." Jun told her gently, "He asked me if there was anything he could offer to help."

"I would have laughed in his face." Mako admitted, "I built up a reputation, Princess. I couldn't let it go."

"But inside ..."

"I had nightmares for weeks after that mission, Jun." Mako buried her face in her arms for a moment, "But - I didn't want anyone to think I was weak."

"That's not weakness!"

"The Ravens promised me that what happened was an anomaly. But it still happened, and it hurt."

"What made it stop? One day you were lashing out at everyone, and suddenly you were - well - not okay, but - calmer."

"Something petty. You could call it revenge. Remember that Red Cross package?"

"The one with the official apology?"

"Yeah, it also held a request that I give the men a second chance."

"I didn't know that? Of all the cheek! How-"

"No Jun, that wasn't all that was in the box."

Jun waited patiently as a hard gleam touched Mako's eyes.

"Did you know that in olden times of the Middle East, the punishment for stealing was the loss of one hand. That was harsh, but it worked, you might see a man with only one hand, but hardly ever a man with no hands."

Mako smiled almost viciously.

"Er - so? What's that got to -?" Jun's eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell open, "No ... "

"The Ravens gave them a second chance, and in it also put a warning out to the Gallactor soldiers. They let them live. We have our assurance there, Jun. As long as the Ravens lead the Empire, it won't happen again."

Mako inclined her head towards Jun.

"Did you reverse the operation?"

"No. And since I wanted in on the Kagaku Ninjatai Project, Daddy didn't press me about returning to the normal cycle."

"I used to depend on birth control pills. But after - I got the operation too, after - the abortion."

"Mako-"

"The pill doesn't really work in our line does it."

"The Ravens made their promise."

"Yeah, they did." The wolfish grin returned to her lips, "For enemies, they are good blokes."

"And good lays?" Jun's eyes twinkled at her.

Mako laughed, "No more than the Raptors I bet. Mutants be damned, we can't force our standards of morality on them. Must be great to have a chance to know both sides."

"Sam wouldn't agree."

"He's as conservative as his Gramps. But the change is complete, and I wager almost instantaneous."

"What are you thinking of, Mako? Weird, aerobic sex?"

"One can dream."

Their laughter peeled through the apartment, as the first rays of dawn started to touch the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" is copyrighted by Toni Braxton, and from her album 'Secrets' Lyrics and Music by Babyface and Toni Braxton


	9. Epilogue - Reporting in

In that lonely hidden room Dr. Nambu had so recently vacated. The screens suddenly lit up and came to life, and writing started to scroll across the screen.

> _[Kozaburo, I apologize for remaining silent for so long, but we have a great many concerns on our own world. I am sorry to hear that X is still creating trouble for you, Kozaburo. But we did warn you of that when it became our knowledge that he had landed on your planet.]_
> 
> _[Kozaburo, what we tell you next must take precedence above all other concerns. Kozaburo, you must order your Kagaku Ninjatai to kill the Ravens who can become the Raptors. It is our suspicion that they are going to be important to X. Whatever feelings your Kagaku Ninjatai have for these creatures, it must be suppressed. You *must* kill them.]_
> 
> _[Until then, are you able to tell us more about their natures? Have they body-markings of some sort? From the descriptions you were able to give us of Berg Katse, the mutant has not been properly prepared for a certain ritual of our worlds. But we cannot be sure of the Ravens.]_
> 
> _[Any information you have, may be important, Kozaburo. We dare not voice our suspicions now. It will do little good to worry us all. We are not overly concerned that X will be able to complete the ritual, but we must be certain. We are, after all, too genetically disparate a species, Kozaburo. It would be an ill-conceived procedure if what we suspect is true.]_
> 
> _[If you are unable to arrange for their assassination, we must know as much as possible, so that we may be able to provide you with some bargaining power with Ravens. Failing that, it is for your own safety that you terminate the Ravens. You must not fail in this Kozaburo.]_
> 
> _[We have worked on your earlier plea in offering you improvements in the bird style. I have appended the plans to this transmission. The clothing limitation has been mostly dealt with. You now will only require the shoes, the bracelet and the amulet. For the safety of your team, the amulet will now be the focal point of the transformation. Removal of the bracelet will no longer deactivate the bird style.]_
> 
> _[We remain vigilant, Kozaburo. The war goes on with little reprieve, but we have some hope. We have faith in you, Kozaburo Nambu, to carry out what is necessary to ensure the survival of your people. Have faith in yourself. Mentor out.]_

The transmission ended. An alarm had already been activated, and a signal sent to Dr. Nambu's office. So the writing remained on the screen, waiting to discover it.

The End ... for now  
To be continued in 'A Mirror Cracked'


End file.
